Head to Head
by x.Chrissy.x
Summary: 7th year, Hogwarts. Heads Draco & Hermione are forced to rely on each other by the ghost of Colin Creevey.  Why is Colin doing this and will Ron & Pansy notice?
1. Chapter 1

**Head to Head**

Draco entered his father's study and stood in front of the large mahogany desk that his father was sitting behind. He clasped his hands behind his back and waited in silence as his father finished writing something on a piece of parchment. Lucius was writing furiously and his quill barely lifted off the parchment. His long gray hair was hanging loosely over his shoulder and his head was bent down over his desk. Draco shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited to be acknowledged.

Finally, Lucius put down his quill, leaned back in his chair slightly and looked up at his son. He folded his hands together on top of his desk and cocked his head to one side slightly as if he was considering something.

"You wanted to see me, Father?" Draco finally asked, becoming somewhat uncomfortable with the silence.

Lucius looked at him for a moment longer before saying anything. "Yes, Draco, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you." He said slowly and deliberately. "As you are aware, I am under house arrest for the next 5 years so that leaves you to uphold the Malfoy name in the meantime." He paused at the thought of his sentence. At his war criminal trial, his attorney had somehow convinced the judge to commute a 3 year Azkaban sentence to 5 years under house arrest. While he was thankful to not be spending any time within the walls of Azkaban again, 5 years inside a house was still punishment enough.

Draco nodded his head. "I am aware, sir." He answered, a little nervous at where this was going.

"As this is your last year at Hogwarts, I am informing you that you will be marrying Pansy Parkinson the summer after graduation." He said casually as if he was discussing business and not the rest of his son's life.

Draco's eyes widened. "Excuse me, sir? You want me to marry Pansy Parkinson?" He sputtered almost unable to believe what he was saying. "And you want me to marry her right after graduation?"

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "You must be confused, _son_. I am not telling you what I want; I am telling you what you will do. She comes from a good pureblood family and an alliance with her family will be good for our family business, especially since I will be running it from the Manor during your schooling. After the wedding, you will take over the business and her father will become one of your partners. The influence Malfoy Enterprises will achieve will be vast."

"I thought you wanted me to be with the business for a few years before taking it over, Father." Draco started to rack his brain for anything to postpone his nuptials. "I thought you didn't want me to get married until after that."

Lucius gritted his teeth. "Yes, well, that was _before_ I was sentenced to 5 bloody years under house arrest." He said as his voice rose with every word. He calmed himself down before continuing. He turned an icy glare upon his son as he laid out his demands. "You will uphold the Malfoy name, you will marry Pansy Parkinson and you will take over the family business. Is that clear?" He said, leaving no room for argument.

Draco's hands balled into fists for a moment and he took a deep breath. "Yes, Father. You are perfectly clear."

"Good, we shall be announcing your engagement at our Christmas Ball." He said with an air of finality.

Draco took that as his dismissal and started to make his way towards the door when his father stopped him.

"Oh, Draco?" Lucius said as Draco stopped and looked back at him. "Good work on making Head Boy." He said succinctly before picking up his quill and starting to write again.

Draco allowed a ghost of a smile to adorn his pale face and nodded slightly. "Thank you, Father." He said as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.

He walked quickly through the halls and finally reached his bedroom. He closed the door behind him and leaned his back against it. He knocked his head against the hard wood as he thought about the conversation he had just had with his father. He always knew Pansy was a potential bride for him but he didn't think he'd be married at 18. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He ran his hand through his pale blond hair and resisted the urge to scream. He closed his eyes and tried to accept his fate. After all, he was a Malfoy. And he would do what he was told.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione felt her wavy brown hair sway as the horn of the Hogwarts Express blew. She was standing on Platform 9 ¾ and she was ready to start her final year at school. She looked at the morose faces of her two best friends and put on her best smile. "Oh, cheer up; I'm only going to Hogwarts not to another country or something." She said as she grabbed a hand of Harry's and a hand of Ron's.

"But we'll miss you, 'Mione. Are you sure you really need to go back? The Minister said it wasn't necessary for a position in the Ministry for us." Ron whined, his grip on her hand tightening.

"Oh Ron, you know how much my education means to me. I need to graduate." She said, shaking her head slightly at the red head in front of her. His red hair was now past his ears and had a shaggy quality to it. He had more freckles on his face that he did previously and she swore he grew even taller over the summer. She looked up at him and gave him a warm smile, hoping that he would see that this was important to her.

"But we won't be there to protect you." Harry chimed in, a look of concern gracing his face. He had a small frown tugging at his lips and he ran his free hand through his messy black hair. He seemed to be asking her to stay with them with his emerald green eyes.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Now Harry, I can take care of myself. I don't need you two around every second." She chastised him while giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Harry had the grace to look down at the ground but Ron continued on. "Harry's right, it wouldn't be good for you to be without us. We need to stick together." He practically pleaded.

"Ronald Weasley, I will be fine." She said, her patience starting to run thin. She smiled a sweet smile as she thought of what she could say to end the conversation. "You know, you're always welcome to come back to school if you're that concerned."

Ron's crisp blue eyes went wide as he considered the thought of returning to classes and homework. For a moment it seemed like the thought caused him physical pain. "No no, you're right 'Mione, you'll be fine." He said hastily.

The train blew its horn again, signally the approaching time to leave. Harry came up and gave her a hug. "Well, you take care of yourself, Hermione. We'll come visit during Hogsmeade weekends when we can." He said as he let go. "You'll make a great Head Girl."

"Thanks Harry. Good luck in Auror Training. Please be careful." She said sincerely and gave him a hug for support.

Ron then came up and squeezed her tightly in a hug. "I'll miss you, 'Mione. You make sure to write often." Ron said as he let go and put his hands on her arms. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers softly. "I love you."

Hermione smiled as he pulled away. "I love you, too. I will certainly make sure to owl." She said, suddenly saddened to be leaving her best friends. She thought it wouldn't be too bad, but leaving them was turning out to be harder than anticipated. "I better go find Ginny." She said to keep her from having second thoughts. She grabbed her trunk hastily and turned around before she could change her mind.

She walked towards the train and someone grabbed her trunk to lift in onboard. She turned around and waved to her best friends and then boarded the train. She passed many first years who seemed confused on where to sit and a couple of returning 5th year Ravenclaws. She quickly found the compartment with Ginny, Luna, Neville and Dean Thomas.

Hogwarts had decided to give everyone a chance to repeat the previous year since the Death Eaters had made the last year intolerable. Of course, they found enrollment of higher level students to be smaller than usual, due to the students who chose not to come back or had lost their lives in the War.

Hermione came into the compartment and had her trunk lifted onto the luggage rack. She smiled at the occupants and they all welcomed enthusiastically.

"So, any idea who Head Boy is?" Ginny asked as she twirled a piece of her fiery red hair between her fingers.

"I imagine it would be Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot or Ernie Macmillan." Hermione answered as she sat down next to Neville. She had been pondering that question since she received her letter stating that she was Head Girl.

"Actually, this is the first year in quite a while that a Ravenclaw hasn't been one of the Heads." A dreamy voice piped up. "Perhaps the nargles were a bigger distraction than I previously thought." She said almost to herself.

Hermione looked at the blond witch, who seemed to be pondering her last statement. "Is it Ernie then?"

Luna looked over at Hermione with an almost surprised look. "What? Oh." She blinked a couple of times before answering again. "Draco Malfoy is Head Boy." She answered as if everyone knew.

"WHAT?!" Hermione yelled which caused Neville to jump a bit. "I have to work with _Malfoy_?!"

Ginny looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry Hermione. That's tough luck."

Dean looked up, an amused expression on his face. "Don't the heads share living quarters?"

Hermione's brown eyes went wide as she realized that he was right. She groaned and leaned her head against the wall. "Yes, we share a common room and bathroom. This is going to be insufferable." She lamented.

Dean chuckled. His light brown hair shook as the laughter came out of his mouth. Hermione glared at him in response. "Sorry Hermione, that really is tough luck but the thought of you and Malfoy having to share living quarters is quite amusing."

Hermione sighed. She shook her head thinking that maybe she should've taken the Minster up on his offer and skipped the year. "I'm glad it's entertaining to someone because I am certainly not amused."

Just then, the compartment door opened and a 5th year Hufflepuff came in. She looked around for a moment before her eyes rested on Hermione. "Um, Headmistress McGonagall would like to talk to you, Hermione." She said quietly.

Hermione nodded and rose from her seat. She followed the blond Hufflepuff down the aisle and she stopped in front of another compartment towards the front of the train. She pointed at the door before giving her a nod and sprinting away. Before she opened the compartment door, she could see the Headmistress already engaged in conversation with the platinum blond Head Boy. She took a deep breath and stepped into the compartment.

"Oh, Ms. Granger, glad you could join us." The Headmistress said, gesturing to the seat across from her and next to a certain blond.

"Of course, Headmistress." Hermione said politely before taking her seat, making sure there was as much space between her and Draco as humanly possible. She saw the headmistress look at her and incline her head towards her neighbor and she begrudgingly complied. "Hello Malfoy."

"Granger." Draco said curtly. He was appalled that he even had to acknowledge her existence but he didn't miss the woman's actions across from him. He slid over until he was practically pressed against the wall, making sure even his robes were as far away from her as possible.

"Well, as you both are aware, you are our two Heads this year. Congratulations." The Headmistress continued as if she didn't notice the two treating each other as if the other had the plague. "I expect the two of you to take your roles seriously and become model students for the rest of the students to look up to. The war is over and I expect the two of you to treat each other civilly and to work together when necessary." She saw both Hermione and Draco frown at that statement and she pursed her lips together before continuing. "Which, as heads, you should be aware will happen quite frequently."

Hermione was the first to speak. "In what capacity will we be working together, Headmistress?" She asked politely but hesitantly, somewhat dreading the answer.

"Well, obviously, the two of you will have to cooperate on the prefects schedule and arrange the tutoring schedules. You both will be responsible for the Yule Ball this year and for scheduling Hogsmeade weekends. Also, you will both become potions partners for the year as to be able to efficiently finish your work and have time to help others with their potions work, especially since that seems to be the subject most have trouble with." McGonagall paused for a moment letting the horrified expressions on the two people across from her start to thaw. "Oh yes, and we shall be promoting interhouse unity this year and I expect the two of you to be a shining example of such by planning events and partnerships to display the intolerance of prejudice and bigotry. Of course, the two of you shall be partners in all those to be an example of the policy."

This time Draco couldn't hold it in. "Excuse me, Headmistress, but you expect _us_ to be an example of interhouse unity and to plan events displaying that we're grand old friends? I'm sorry, but you must have gone mad!" He burst out, unable to keep the incredulousness from his voice.

"Draco! That is an unacceptable way to talk to your Headmistress." McGonagall chastised. "And I absolutely expect that from my two Heads. If you do not believe you are up to the task, may I suggest you hand in your badge and I will find someone else more amenable to my plans."

Hermione's mouth was still hanging open but after that threat, she wisely decided to keep it shut. Draco scowled but didn't say anything else. He crossed his arms in front of him and then glared hard at the muggle born witch next to him as if it was somehow her fault.

McGonagall watched the two across from her silently for a moment before moving on. "Good, now that we have that settled, I will announce the two of you at the feast today and then will show you up to your rooms. This is a difficult year for many students as a lot of them lost family on Hogwarts ground. Please be respectful of that."

Both students cast their eyes to the ground at them mention of the Battle at Hogwarts. Both of them remembered it vividly. The memories played back through Hermione's mind and she felt her ire rising as she turned and looked at the Head Boy.

"Prof – I mean, Headmistress, I'm afraid I don't understand how having a Death Eater as Head Boy will be good for anyone in this school." She said scathingly, the flood of memories reminding her of why she hated the boy next to her so much.

Draco's eyes narrowed at her and was about to respond when McGonagall responded first.

"Let's make a few things clear right now. We will not be mentioning any reference to Death Eaters during the school year; the students don't need to be reminded." She said calmly, looking at Hermione. She then turned her gaze to Draco. "And we will not be mentioning any derogatory terms for muggle borns as well. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Headmistress." They grumbled in unison.

"Good. The two of you have a grand opportunity to show that the war does not have to rip people and lives apart. Please keep that in mind as you go through your year." McGonagall said as she stood up. "I will see you both at the end of the feast." She said as she walked out the door, ending the discussion.

It was silent for a moment before Draco stood up to leave as well. "Listen mudblood, I might have to act civilly to you in public, but that does not mean I have to when we're alone." He sneered before heading to the door.

"Oh, I expect nothing less from you, Malfoy. Besides, everyone always knew you were a sore loser." She shot back.

Draco stopped for a moment but decided it wasn't worth his time. He opened the compartment door and left, letting the door slam behind him.

Hermione leaned her head back against the seat and balled her fists. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. Maybe Harry and Ron had been right afterall.

* * *

**A/N: Welcome! This is my first Hogwarts fic, so lets see how it goes. I hope you have enjoyed the first part so far. As most who have read my stories previously, you all know that these are eventual Hermione/Draco plot lines. If you expect an instant falling for one another, you're in the wrong story. :-) Well, ENJOY the story and please REVIEW! It really helps me figure out how I'm doing. ~Chrissy**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione sat between Ginny and Dean at the Gryffindor table as everyone was finishing dessert. The absence of Harry and Ron was very noticeable and she strained her memory to try to think of a time she had sat at this table without them. The sorting was already over and they had 20 new Gryffindors at their table. All that was left was for the Headmistress to tell the prefects to escort their houses to their rooms.

Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat as she got everyone's attention. "It is time to bring this feast to an end. Let me introduce your Head Boy and Head Girl to you this year. Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, please make your way up here."

The hall erupted in applause and table banging. The Slytherins were chanting "Draco, Draco, Draco" and the Gryffindors were standing on their chairs shouting. Hermione blushed as she walked up to the front and found herself in step with Draco. They didn't acknowledge each other and they turned around to look at the Hall when they reached the teacher's table.

"Please let them know if you need anything as they will be leading our school in what I am sure will be a successful school year." McGonagall said after everyone quieted down. "Now, prefects, please show your houses to their rooms."

Immediately the entire Great Hall was on their feet with shouts from each house, directing their newcomers in the right direction. Hermione watched somewhat sadly as Ginny passed her, shouting for the Gryffindors to follow her. She missed being a prefect even if she was Head Girl now.

Finally, after the last wave of students went through the doors, McGonagall addressed them. "Alright, follow me." She said as she started to briskly walk through the doors.

They followed close behind her as she took them down an unfamiliar hallway and up a staircase. They stopped in front of a large painting of a castle that looked a bit like Hogwarts. In front of the castle was a tree where a little boy was sitting in its shade, eating an apple. "The password is Dumbledore Snape." She said quickly as the portrait swung forward. The significance did not escape them. "Please remember what I said on the train. Good night." She turned on her heel and left them at the entrance.

Hermione entered the portrait hole and gasped at her surroundings. There was a large fireplace in the center of the room with a couch and a few single chairs facing it. There were tables between the chairs and everything was decorated in earth tones. The carpet was tan and the couches were beige with a dark brown fireplace mantle. To the right was a small kitchenette with a table and two chairs and to the left were two desks on opposite walls. There was a bookshelf to the side of each desk. On the left wall, was a staircase that presumably led to their bedrooms.

"This is it?! Surely as Heads we deserve better!" Draco lamented. Hermione turned around and shot a glare at him. "Well, certainly, _I_ deserve better at the very least." He snorted as he pushed past her and walked to the stairs.

She shook her head and followed behind him. On top of the stairs was a landing and on the right a door with a plaque on it that read "Head Girl". And of course, to the left a door with a plaque that read "Head Boy." Draco was already in his room by the time Hermione got to her door and she opened it with a hard shove.

The room was decorated in Gryffindor colors with a Gryffindor banner hanging behind the four post bed. A large armoire stood against the wall in a cherry wood that matched her bed frame. The comforter was a dark red color with gold trim and there was a large window with cushions on the wide window sill. Her trunk sat at the foot of the bed and she had to resist the urge to jump on the large bed. She grinned widely as she noticed the door to the left.

She quickly walked over and opened the door which revealed a very large bathroom. Looking straight down, she saw another door which she imagined led to Draco's room. To the left were two sinks and generous counter tops. There were cabinets on each wall closest to the doors. To the right was a large bath that seemed to be the size of a small swimming pool. She gasped in delight as she rushed over to it and saw the different taps for bubbles and scents. Across from the bath there was a shower stall with a glass door.

The other door opened then and she saw Draco walk in. He looked appraisingly at the sinks, putting down a bag full of toiletries on the counter. His eyes scanned the room and finally landed on her which put a scowl on his face. "Just great, I have to share a bathroom with a mudblood." He muttered as he started to put his toiletries into the cabinet closest to his door.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she stole a glimpse into his bedroom. It looked like the mirror image of her room, except the colors were of course green and silver. The wood seemed to be a deep mahogany instead of cherry but that was it for the differences. She saw a set of Slytherin robes hanging from the bed post when she was reminded that he was still in the room.

"Oi! Granger! Better get a good look, because it's the last time you'll see the inside of my room!" Draco said sarcastically.

Hermione's cheeks burned with embarrassment at being caught. "Not like I want to know what your room looks like anyway!" She shot back.

"Didn't seem that way to me!" He smirked, knowing full way that she was taking stock of his room.

"Bugger off, Malfoy!" She spat as she stormed out of the bathroom. She heard him laugh at her openly as she slammed the door to the bathroom behind her. "I can't believe I have to live with that insufferable git!" She said as she threw herself onto her bed.

A banging at the bathroom door made her pick up her head and roll over. "What do you want?!" She yelled.

"Open the door, Granger! We need to set some rules!" Draco yelled from the other side of the door.

Hermione groaned as she got up and trudged to the door. She flung it open as hard as she could and came face to face with Draco. "What rules?"

"I don't want any of your Gryffindork friends having the password to our common room." He said snidely.

"Well, I don't want any of your Slytherin friends to have the password either." She said back quickly.

"I also don't want any of them here when you're not." He said, ticking them off on his fingers.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine but the same goes for you. And no parties or loud get-togethers after curfew."

"Wow, you _are_ boring." Draco responded scathingly.

Hermione glared at him. "And no _activities_ in the common room." She said slightly embarrassed.

"Activities? What kind of activities are you talking about?" Draco asked mockingly.

"You know what I mean, Malfoy." She huffed.

"Fine, I'll bring my lady friends into my room." He said in the most arrogant voice possible.

"Is that all, Malfoy?" She asked exasperatedly.

He looked at her for a moment before answering. "We need to work on the prefect schedule shortly. Let's do that tomorrow night."

Hermione was silently shocked by the change of subject. She wasn't expecting Draco to take his head duties seriously but she was grateful it wouldn't be a battle to get him to do his responsibilities.

"That's fine." She answered.

"Good." He said as he turned on his heel and walked through the bathroom to his bedroom door.

She shut her door and rubbed her forehead. This was certainly going to be a long year.

Hermione sat between Ginny and Neville at the breakfast table the next morning. She took a piece of toast and some eggs while listening to Ginny prattle on about her room this year.

"It's just not the same without you." Ginny complained in between taking bites of her toast. "The common room isn't the same without you, Harry and Ron."

"Well, be happy you still have me around, then." Hermione smiled. "Since the other decided they didn't need to come back."

Ginny sighed as she nodded. A piece of paper was placed next to her plate and Hermione looked up to see McGonagall passing out schedules.

Hermione looked hers over and nodded her head at each of her classes: potions, arithimancy, ancient runes, transfiguration, and charms. She recalled the Headmistress saying during the welcome feast that Defence against the Dark Arts would not be taught this year as 1. they have no one to teach it and 2. the war provided enough experience to warrant a year off from the class. She wasn't sure she agreed with it, but she trusted McGonagall's opinion. Besides, it would be back next year and she did have more than enough practice fighting Death Eaters.

"Wow, Hermione, that's a pretty busy schedule you've got there." Neville said, peaking over her shoulder.

She turned and looked at him while nodding her head. "It's not too bad." She smiled at the brunette boy next to her. Neville had grown up a lot in the last year. He was no longer the bumbling wizard but a much more effective wizard now. His part in the war was no small feat and seemed to give him the confidence he needed to become really good at spells. The transformation was amazing.

"Well, I'll have charms and transfiguration with you." He said as he looked over his schedule. "I didn't feel the need to take potions this year." He said sheepishly, knowing full well that potions was his worst subject.

Hermione nodded. "It'll be a good year and I want to be fully prepared for my NEWTS." Hermione said as she stood up. "Well, I must be off to Potions. Don't want to be late." She smiled at the table and started for the door.

She reached the door at the same time as Draco who sneered at her as he pushed in front of her. She rolled her eyes as she made her way down the familiar hallways, a little sad that this would be her last first day of class. She walked down the stairs to the dungeons and for a moment, she had a flashback of the battle that only happened month ago. Her breath caught and she leaned against the wall, waiting for the visions to pass.

"Forgetting how to walk now, Granger?" Draco taunted as he stopped in front of her. Behind him, Pansy and Blaise were snickering.

Hermione narrowed her eyes as the voice brought her back. "It's none of your businesses, Malfoy." She said vehemently as she pushed passed him.

"Testy testy." He said as he followed her into the Potions classroom.

She sat in her old seat and frowned as she realized the two seats next to her weren't going to be filled by Harry and Ron. Instead, Dean sat next to her and smiled, knowing that he was taking Harry's seat. It was a relatively small class as Potions was an elective this year.

The class was mixed with students from all houses due to the limited amount of students. Draco sat next to Pansy who seemed to be fawning over him much to his chagrin. Blaise had returned as well and was sitting next to Theo Nott. Also, Hannah Abbot, Ernie Macmillan, Terry Boot, Seamus Finnigan and Justin Finch-Fletchley were seated around the classroom.

Professor Slughorn waltzed in and went straight to the front of the room. He still looked pudgy but his face was drawn a bit and he seemed to have less hair than the previous year. "Welcome to my class and your final year at Hogwarts!" He started. "I have decided to give you all permanent partners this year and the names are on the board." He said with a flourish of his wand. "Please sit next to your partner."

The names appeared on the board and Hermione was less than surprised to see her name attached to Malfoy's. She was surprised, however, to see that all the other pairings were from other houses, that is until she remembered McGonangall talking about interhouse unity.

She looked at Draco and saw him sitting back against the table looking at her. She was obviously expected to be the one who moved. With a sigh, she stood up with her satchel and moved to Pansy's vacated seat.

"My poor Draco, having to work with the mudblood." Pansy said in a saccharine sweet voice from behind her.

Hermione cringed at the high pitched voice and turned around to look at the still pug-faced girl. There was a sneer on her face and her black bob swayed slightly as she looked at Hermione challengingly. She felt bad that Terry had been made her partner. "Such language is not appropriate, especially this year Ms. Parkinson." Hermione said in her most authoritative voice. "I'm afraid if you use it again I will have to use my status as Head Girl to remove house points."

Pansy glared at her but wisely kept her mouth shut. Hermione turned back around only to see a smirking Draco at her side.

"We will be working on Amorentia for the first potion." Slughorn said as the names disappeared on the board only to be replaced by instructions. "You will have this entire lesson to do this potion but if you're not efficient, it will not get done. I also would like a 3 foot essay on its effects and why it is so dangerous due next week. Begin." He said as he walked to his desk and sat down. The glass groaned at the assignment but started to get to work.

"Malfoy, get the ingredients and I'll set up the cauldron." Hermione said as she finished reading the instructions from the board.

"No." Draco answered snidely. "_I'll_ set up the cauldron and _you_ get the ingredients." He answered obviously doing it just to be difficult.

Hermione sighed. "Fine, whatever Malfoy. Just set it up correctly." She said as she got up and left for the storage closet mumbling about white ferrets and what a pain in the arse they were.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 2! Thank you for the reviews so far! Especially for those of you who are following me from my last story. Having people like my old stories enough to keep reading my new ones is definitely a great compliment! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. Please continue reviewing. I always take everyone's opinions into consideration. Thanks! ~Chrissy**


	3. Chapter 3

Draco strode into the Great Hall and sat at his table. He sat next to Blaise who was already well into dinner. He let out of a sigh and ran his hand through his hair before reaching out for a roll.

"What's wrong, mate?" Blaise asked between bites.

"It has just been a hellish first day, that's all." Draco answered as he took a bite of his roll. "Granger is in all my bloody classes and if that's not enough, they're taking this stupid inter-house unity nonsense to a new level and I'm partnered with her in almost everything!" He answered exasperatedly.

Blaise chuckled. "Sorry to hear that but I know what you mean. The professors really are on an inter-house unity kick. I've got Abbott in Potions, Brown in Divination and one of the Patil twins for Tranfiguration. I don't even know which one." He lamented. "Look on the bright side, though. You're guaranteed straight Os with Granger as a partner."

Draco rolled his eyes. "No O is worth having to put up with that bushy haired beaver. It's bad enough I have to live with her."

"Are you talking about the mudblood?" Pansy's nasally voice said from Draco's other side.

"Do you know any other bushy haired beavers?" Draco answered coolly, looking to his left where Pansy was sitting down. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with her but at the same time, he wasn't in the mood to listen to her whine and complain either. He winced, knowing that if he didn't fix his response, she'd get even clingier.

Pansy looked at him for a moment, trying to decide if he had just been sarcastic with her when he flashed her a smile and the thought flew out of her head.

"Oh Drakey, I don't know how you can stand to live with her." She demurred. "But after this year, you won't ever have to see her again and we'll be living together." She said excitedly.

"Living together?" Blaise asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"Oh yes, didn't you hear? Draco and I are getting married next summer!" She practically squealed.

Blaise shot Draco a sympathetic look before answering. "Well, congratulations are in order then."

Draco resisted the urge to shudder and looked at Pansy. "Look, I really don't want everyone to know about this. I want to be able to enjoy our last year here without everyone talking about a wedding. Could we please keep it to ourselves?"

Pansy frowned. "But our parents are going to announce it at Christmas anyway. What does it matter?"

Draco put on his prize winning pout and looked at her deploringly. "Please Pans, do it for me? It'll make our wedding that much more special."

Pansy melted under Draco's silver eyes. "Sure Drakey, anything for you." She consented unable to resist.

Draco smiled broadly. "Thanks Pansy." He said before turning his attention back to Blaise and rolling his eyes.

Blaise nodded his head in appreciation of the manipulation that had just occurred in front of him and smiled. Draco shrugged and stood up from the table. "Well, I must be going. I have a lot of things to do tonight so I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night." He said as he walked off and out of the hall, well aware that Pansy's eyes were trained on him the entire way.

He walked through the mostly deserted halls and made his way back to the Head's common room. Unsurprisingly, Hermione was sitting at her desk, writing on a piece of parchment. He threw his satchel onto the couch and sat down next to it, putting his feet up on the table in front of it. The fireplace was lit and it crackled with enthusiasm.

Hermione turned to Draco at the sound of his bag hitting the couch. "Do you mind, Malfoy? I'm trying to get some writing done." She said annoyed.

"Well, let's get our prefect list done and then you can go back to your homework." He said rolling his eyes. "It's our first day of school but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a know-it-all like you would be doing homework."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "For your information, I'm writing a letter, thank you very much." She snapped.

"Oh, to your red headed weasel of a boyfriend, then?" He mocked. "Dear Weasel, I miss you so much. School without your idiocy isn't the same. Please come back and I'll do all your homework for you." He said in falsetto.

"Oh shut it, Malfoy. You probably write letters to your dear old mum like the mama's boy you are." She shot back.

Draco's eyes turned to slits. "You mention my mother again Granger and you'll regret it." He threatened, his eyes glowering with anger.

Hermione was taken back momentarily with the seriousness in his voice. She quickly decided that this game had gone on long enough and she preferred to not be thrown out of her Head Girl position for dueling with the Head Boy. "What were you saying about prefect schedules?" She asked, changing the subject.

Draco glared at her a moment longer before shaking his head quickly. The anger dissipated as quickly as it came and he thought about her question. "We need to come up with one." He answered. "Shall we just pair them with their housemate?"

"No, remember inter-house unity? We should stick with that." She answered; glad to be on a safer topic.

"Fine. Well, let's have a prefect's meeting on Wednesday nights and we can patrol after the meeting." He suggested, taking out a piece of parchment.

Hermione nodded. "That's fine. Let's see, how about Parkinson and Macmillan on Mondays?"

Draco wrote down the names. "Alright, how about Lovegood and Longbottom on Tuesdays?" He suggested.

"Corner and Abbott on Thursdays." Hermione supplied.

"That leaves Zabini and Weasley on Friday." Draco said finishing his writing. Hermione winced at the last pairing, cursing herself for letting Ginny be paired up with a Slytherin. "Hogsmeade weekend in 2 weekends?"

Hermione nodded. "That sounds about right." She answered, somewhat surprised at how smoothly it all went.

Draco stood up and grabbed his satchel off the couch. He walked over to her desk and put the piece of parchment down on it and strode away. He walked up the stairs and entered the room, closing the door behind him. He threw his satchel on the floor and took off his school robes, throwing them on his bed.

He sat on his windowsill, looking out on the Forbidden Forrest. He leaned his head against the cool stone wall and sighed. He closed his eyes and for a moment he thought he could hear the screams of his past. His eyes snapped open and he shook his head violently, trying to get the noise out of his head.

He stood back up and opened the door to the bathroom, deciding that a bath might be called for.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione sat up in bed and reached for her wand on her nightstand. The sound of screaming had jolted her out of her sleep but perhaps she had dreamt it. Silence surrounded her and she listened for a moment longer. Satisfied that it was from a dream she no longer remembered, she put her wand down and laid back down. As she closed her eyes, another tortured scream tore through the air and she was on her feet, wand in hand.

She knew immediately that the scream was from the room across from hers and she quickly crossed her room and paused at her door. The screaming had not stopped and it sounded as if he was being crucio'd. She threw open her door and strode across the landing to his door.

With a hard shove, she opened the door with her wand out and pointed. She looked around but saw no one other than the blonde boy, tangled in blankets, screaming at the top of his lungs. She realized quickly that he was dreaming and she walked over to his bed cautiously.

"Malfoy." She said loudly, trying to wake him. "Malfoy!"

The boy stopped screaming then, but didn't wake. His expression looked pained and he whimpered audibly.

"Malfoy!" She yelled, putting her hand on his shoulder to wake him.

As soon as her hand made contact, his hand shot out and captured her wrist. She squeaked in surprise and his eyes opened.

"What the bloody hell are you doing in my room, Granger?" He sneered at her.

Hermione glared at him. "For your information, you woke me up with all your screaming."

Draco dropped her hand and paled. "I was screaming?"

"Yes, and loud enough to wake the dead." She answered, taking a step back from the bed. "Nightmares?" She asked.

His eyes hardened. "That's none of your business. Now get out of my room."

Hermione harumphed. "Fine Malfoy. Just try not to wake me up." She said as she walked out of his room. As she closed his door behind her, she could hear him mutter a silencing charm. She sighed as she thought of the nightmares that were obviously torturing him. She wondered if they were anything like the nightmares she had time from time. She hurriedly entered her room and got back into bed. As she closed her eyes, she fell back into a dreamless sleep.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione left the prefect's meeting with Draco following behind her. They hadn't talked since the nightmare incident unless it was absolutely necessary like during classes or at the meeting. He seemed to be avoiding her and that suited her just fine. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around, facing the blonde behind her.

"Which way would you like to go?" She asked while looking down the corridor.

"Why don't you go that way?" He said pointing to his right. "I'll go down that way." He said pointing to his left. "We'll meet by the stairs and go up to the next floor together. It'll make our rounds go faster."

"Do you really think we should split up?" Hermione asked, uneasy about the idea. After all, there was a reason prefects patrolled in pairs.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Are you scared? Or would you just rather be in my amazing company? I supposed I could understand that." He smirked.

Hermione's lips thinned to a straight line. "Fine, Malfoy. We'll meet at the stupid stairs."

Draco turned on his heel and started to stride down the hallway, his robes swishing behind him. She promptly turned in the other direction and walked away as well. She held her wand at her side although she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like she would hex a student or anything, even if they were out after curfew.

Half an hour went by quietly and she found herself finally approaching the stairs. Draco was there already, leaning against the wall inspecting his nails.

"It's about time, Granger. Did you take a nap?" He snapped as she came closer.

Hermione glared at him. "Let's just go up the stairs, Malfoy." She said as she walked past him and started up the stairs.

They got to the top of the stairs and once again broke apart. Hermione found herself walking down a long quiet corridor when she recognized where she was. If she went a little farther down, she'd come upon the Room of Requirement. She hadn't been down here since the War.

Memories began to flood her as she remembered coming out of the room after sneaking in from the Hog's Head. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the cold stone wall, while memories continued to assault her. A flash of white light pulled her out of her memories and her eyes snapped open with her wand pointed in front of her. As her eyes focused, she saw a small ghost standing in front of her, a camera in his hands.

"Colin?" She whispered, recognizing the boy after a moment. A single tear fell as she saw the young boy in front of her nod his head.

Colin gave her a lop sided grin before floating up and through the ceiling. Hermione stood there for a moment, shocked. He had looked almost exactly the way she remembered him, save for the transparent part.

Slowly, a sob made its way up her throat and then wracked her body. She slid against the wall and down to the floor, tears streaming down her face as she thought about all the people she lost. She wrapped her arms around her bent legs and lowered her head to her knees as the sobs kept coming.

She didn't know how long she sat there, freely crying for the first time since the war. She heard angry footsteps approach her and then stop suddenly. She looked up to see an apprehensive Draco surveying the scene.

"Granger?" He asked, annoyance seeping into his voice. "What is wrong with you?"

"I saw Colin Creevey." She said softly, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Who the hell is Colin Creevey and why is that making you ball your eyes out?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of himself. "Merlin Granger, can't take care of some student out after curfew?" He shook his head.

"He's...he's dead." She whispered and Draco's eyes widened. "He died at the battle, somewhere around here. And I saw his ghost. He took a picture." She said haltingly.

Draco's face lost the little color it had. "A picture? You mean the little kid who constantly followed Potter around with the camera?" He asked, vaguely recalling the person.

Hermione nodded her head solemnly. "So many people died...right here."

Draco raked his hand through his hair. "Look Granger, let's get you back to our room." He said after a moment.

"I'm not going alone." She said, still visibly shaken by the ghost of her house mate.

Draco nodded. "We won't split up prefect duties anymore." He conceded.

Hermione nodded as she attempted to stand up, her knees weak from the emotional drain. She saw a pale hand in front of her and looked up with surprised eyes.

"I don't have all bloody night, Granger." Draco said, though not nearly as annoyed as before.

Hermione grabbed his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. They walked back in silence, both trying not to think of all that was lost within the castle walls.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, the effects of trauma. Let's see how this plays out shall we? :-) Thanks for the reviews! PLEASE continue! I love reading them and they keep me motivated. And I always love suggestions! ~Chrissy**


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione entered the Three Broomsticks and immediately saw a shock of red hair in the corner. She picked up her step and headed through the crowds of people to get to her destination. Ron and Harry were sitting at a table, three butterbeers sitting on top of it. As soon as she came within sight, both boys had large grins break out on their faces.

"'Mione!" Ron called out as he stood up and came around the table. He enveloped her in a big hug and held her close. "I've missed you." He murmured into her hair.

"Oh Ron, I've missed you, too." She responded, pecking him on the cheek.

"Don't forget about me!" Harry interjected from behind them.

Hermione disengaged herself from Ron and threw her into Harry's laughing arms. "I've missed you, too, Harry!" She exclaimed happily. "Hogwarts just isn't the same without you guys."

Harry squeezed her back and then they all sat down at the table. He took a large gulp of butterbeer and settled into his chair.

"So, how's Auror Training?" Hermione asked the two boys in front of her.

"Well, it has only been a couple of weeks, but it's pretty difficult. The spells aren't that bad, but it's the speed at which you deliver them that's tricky." Harry answered.

Ron laughed. "What Harry's trying to say, is that they're kicking our arses."

Hermione chuckled. "Well, I'm glad they're keeping you on your toes." She answered with a smile.

"So how's being Head Girl?" Harry asked, pride in his voice.

"How's living with that ferret?" Ron asked disgustedly.

Hermione thought for a moment. "I really enjoy being Head Girl but it really is a lot of work." She answered debating on whether or not to tell them about working with Draco on everything. "Malfoy is Malfoy. McGonagall gave us a long speech about having to be civil to each other and set a good example and such, so we've been somewhat tolerable."

"He's still a git." Ron answered sullenly. "I still don't understand why Heads have to share a common room."

Hermione sighed but her retort was cut off by a young boy next to her.

"Um, Hermione?" He asked timidly.

Hermione turned to look at the visitor and gasped. In front of her stood a small brown haired boy who looked remarkably like a certain ghost she had seen. She felt herself freeze as she looked at the boy in front of her. Luckily, it was Harry for her.

"Dennis! It's so good to see you! How're you doing?" Harry asked the young boy, no doubt thinking about his older brother.

"Hello Harry." Dennis answered with a small smile. "Ron." He nodded his head.

"Hi Dennis." Hermione said, getting her voice back finally.

Dennis then turned to look at Hermione and his smile fell away. "You saw him." He said to her seriously.

She knew instantly who he was talking about. She nodded her head slowly. "How do you know?"

Dennis smiled slightly. "He left me your picture."

Hermione immediately thought of the flash that had brought her out of her memories that night. "He left you a picture?"

"What's going on here, Hermione?" Harry asked, confused by the conversation.

"Oh. Right. Well, I was going to tell you a little later but I suppose now will do." She answered nervously. "I was on patrol by the Room of Requirement when I was distracted by a flash." She said, not wanting to tell them about the memories. "When I looked, I saw…" She hesitated for a moment and looked at Dennis who nodded his head. "I saw Colin Creevey…as a ghost."

"Colin Creevey is a ghost at Hogwarts?" Ron exclaimed, his face draining color.

"Yes, I suppose, but I don't think anyone else knows." Hermione answered. "No one has said anything."

Dennis nodded. "Actually, I was surprised when I saw your picture. Colin still enjoys taking pictures and sometimes he leaves them on my bed. They dissolve into a puff of smoke when you touch them but they're intact until then. I thought I was the only one who knew." He said timidly, obviously torn between gratefulness for the contact with his brother and sadness knowing that he was a ghost. "I think there must be something he still needs to do before…passing on." He whispered.

"So, we're the only two who know?" Hermione asked Dennis, still confused.

"I do believe so. And please don't tell others. I don't think I could take the questions." Dennis asked with sad eyes.

"Of course, Dennis." Hermione answered and patted the boy's arm.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry, Dennis." Harry said. "If there's anything we can do, please let us know."

Dennis smiled. "Thank you Harry, but I believe whatever needs to be done, Colin will reveal himself to the right people." Dennis turned to Hermione again. "I know that you have something to do with helping him move on. Thank you in advance." He said sincerely before walking away.

Ron shook his head. "Blimey Hermione, quite the interesting year already."

"I'm sorry we're not here to help you." Harry said, sadly. "You know I'd help if I were able."

Hermione smiled. "I know Harry. I'm sure if Colin has an agenda, he'll let me know." She answered confidently yet inside she was unsure what she could possibly do to help him rest.

"Well, we're only an owl away." Ron answered, surprisingly supportive.

"Thanks Ron." Hermione answered, giving him a smile.

A moment of comfortable silence went through the table as everyone took a sip of their butterbeer.

"So, uh, Hermione, how's Ginny doing?" Harry asked uncomfortably.

Hermione looked at Harry and saw him tugging at his collar. "She's doing well. I'm not in the Gryffindor common room too much, but I talk to her at meal times."

Harry shifted in his seat. "Does she ever say anything about me?"

Hermione sighed. "Harry, look, I think she still needs time to get over you breaking up with her last year. And on top of it, she's still mourning Fred. Just let her enjoy being at school, I don't think a long distance relationship is for her right now."

"You and Ron are doing it!" He pointed out quickly.

"But Ron didn't break up with me last year." She answered promptly.

Harry's head drooped a bit. "Yea, I know you're right."

"It's okay, mate. I have to admit; it's a lot easier to let Ginny date when I'm not around." Ron said cheekily.

"You think she's dating?" Harry asked, his head snapping up.

Hermione sighed again. "I don't think so, Harry. But if she does, you have to accept it. Everything will work out for the best."

Harry nodded. "You're right, Hermione. Just like always." He answered, a rueful smile on his face.

Hermione swatted his arm playfully and instantly the tension was broken as they switched subjects to her classes.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly and she was sad to leave them when the sun started to go down.

"Well, I guess I should be getting back to school." Hermione said standing up.

"Yea, we need to get back too. We have an early day tomorrow." Harry answered, a slight frown tugging at his lips. "It's really not the same without you around, Hermione."

Hermione gave them a sad smile. "The year will be over before you know it and there's another Hogmeade weekend in a month."

"And we'll be here!" Ron said, giving her a grin.

Hermione chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it." She answered, smiling brightly at the two of them.

Harry gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek. Ron pecked her on the lips and enveloped her in a hug. "We'll see you soon." He said as he let go of her.

"I'll see you before you know it. I'll owl often." Hermione answered, feeling that sadness that she felt at King's Cross a few weeks ago.

She made her way back up to Hogwarts, her heart a little heavier at leaving her friends again. She wondered if it would always be like that or if it would ever get easier.

She entered her common room and made it up the stairs. She walked into her bedroom as she heard the portrait swing open and footsteps in the common room that she recognized as Draco's. She wondered when she started to recognize things like his footsteps and threw her jacket onto the bed when something caught her attention. There, on top of her pillow was a light gray piece of parchment. As she took a closer look, she gasped as she realized it wasn't a piece of parchment but a picture that was almost translucent. And as she peered at it closely, she recognized what the picture was of. It was a picture of Draco, wrapped up in his sheets, screaming out, just as she saw him when he was having his nightmare. She thought it was interesting how even ghostly pictures moved just as wizarding pictures did. She reached out her hand to pick it up when a scream stopped her.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Draco hollered from his room. "Granger! What is this?"

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" She yelled back, the picture on her pillow momentarily forgotten.

"Why is there a picture of you on my pillow?" Draco yelled in response.

Hermione immediately straightened up and ran to his room to see him pointing at a familiar ghostly picture except this time; it was Hermione crying on the floor of the hallway, her head between her knees obviously sobbing. She quickly realized that it was from after she had seen him. He must've taken it without her noticing.

"Did you put this here?" He asked accusingly.

"First of all, Malfoy, that's a ghost's picture. As I'm not dead, it couldn't have been me. Secondly, I have a picture of _you_ on my pillow, screaming your head off while asleep." She answered, with her arms crossed in front of her.

"What? A picture of me?" He asked as he strode across his room and into hers. She followed him just in time to see his eyes widen at the picture. Immediately, he went to pick it up and it dissolved into thin air. He snatched his hand back as if it had been burned. "What the hell just happened?"

"I told you, Malfoy. It's a ghost's picture. It disappears as soon as you touch it." She said from her doorway.

"What ghost is doing this and why?" He turned around and demanded.

"Colin Creevey and I don't know why." She answered succinctly. "I think he needs something from us in order to rest in peace."

"Well, I don't bloody care about him resting in peace. Tell him to leave me alone." He said as he stormed back into his room.

"I don't think it works that way, Malfoy. If a ghosts needs something to cross over, they'll do whatever needs to be done to make sure it happens." She said from his doorway, leaning against the doorpost.

"Well, he can bugger off. I'm not doing anything for him." He said as he waved his hand through the picture on his bed, making it disappear. "Now, get out of my room." He said, turning his back to her.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she went back to her room. She hoped that Colin could do whatever it was that he needed without the help of Draco. Otherwise, no one was going to have any peace.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of banging on her door.

"Who is it?" She yelled, knowing that there was only one person that it could be.

"Who do you think it is? Get out of your bed and come over here!" He yelled from the other side of the door.

"Why should I?" She countered, not wanting to get out of bed at…she looked at her clock and groaned…7am on a Sunday.

"Just get your arse out here!" He called and stomped away.

She got out of bed and marched over to his room. "There better be a good reason for this, Malfoy." She said as she entered her room and stopped.

All over the room were ghostly pictures of Malfoy screaming out at night. They covered his walls, his bed, his furniture, everything. They were all of Malfoy obviously in pain or terrified. She looked over at Draco who standing in the middle of his room watching her reaction.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

"This is what I woke up to this morning. Seems your ghostly friend won't take 'bugger off' as an answer." He said as he tried to not look at the various pictures surrounding him.

"So you'll help him?" She asked, her eyes still looking at the hundreds of pictures around them.

"Doesn't seem like I have a choice." He answered with his arms crossed in front of him. "Stupid Gryffindors. Even dead you're annoying."

Hermione rolled her eyes. As soon as he agreed to help, the pictures disappeared and the room was exactly the way it was before.

"What do we have to do?" Draco asked, as his eyes widened when the pictures started to disappear.

"I don't know." Hermione answered as a large picture appeared on the wall. They both went over to it and Draco's face completely paled when he recognized it. "The Astronomy Tower." She said as the picture showed the high tower.

"He's got to be kidding." Draco said, shaking his head. He had been meticulously avoiding that area of the castle and had no desire to come near it ever again. Underneath the picture, a date and time were scrawled. "Wednesday at 11pm." Draco read.

"He wants us to go after patrol." Hermione said, still looking at the picture.

"Fine, whatever gets him off my back." Draco said running his hand through the picture and making it effectively disappear. "You can leave now, Granger."

Hermione shook her head and left the room, wondering what Colin was up to.

* * *

**A/N: Well, my schedule has cleared up a bit, so hopefully I can return to writing a bit more. :-) As this story is evolving in my head, I'm becoming quite eager to get it down on paper. I think this is going to be really good. THANKS to all of you who are reviewing. I really appreciate it. PLEASE continue and I'll continue writing as much as possible! Enjoy! ~Chrissy**


	5. Chapter 5

Draco was walking towards the Astronomy tower with Hermione in tow. He could feel butterflies raging war in his stomach with every step closer to the tower. However, he defiantly had a look of annoyance on his face and continued on as if this had no impact on him. They had just finished their patrol and he stopped at the base of the spiral staircase and turned to the girl following him.

"Look Granger, let's get something straight. Whatever goes on with this Gryffindor ghost shite, it doesn't go past us. I want a wizard's or in your case, witch's promise." He said, crossing his arms in front of himself daring her to argue.

Hermione's eyes went wide. "You want a magical promise?" She asked, unnerved by the severity of the request. While she had never made a witch's promise, she knew what it entailed. If you broke it, you lost your magic for a month, which while not permanent, could be devastating in the Wizarding World. Not to mention, everyone would know what happened.

"Are you deaf? That's what I said, Granger." He said haughtily. "I don't want anyone finding out that I am doing anything with _you_."

"Well, Dennis already knows, I'm sure." She answered wearily not sure she wanted to enter such a binding contract.

"Who the hell is Dennis?" Draco sneered.

Hermione shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "He's Colin's brother. Colin has been leaving pictures for him, too."

Draco cursed under his breath. "Well, fine, I have no control over what or who the damn ghost tells but I want your word." He said as he held out his hand toward her and raised his wand with the other hand.

Hermione nodded. He was doing this for Colin after all. She grasped his hand with hers and raised her wand to his.

"Do we promise to keep anything to do with this ghost between us only?" Draco said as both wands' tips lit up.

"We promise." They said together as the wands both emitted a spark that landed on their intertwined hands.

As soon as it was done, Draco dropped her hand and proceeded to wipe it on his ropes. "Gross, mudblood germs." He muttered as he turned around and stared up the staircase. He could feel Hermione looking at him as he felt his insides freeze up.

"Are you going to go, Malfoy?" Hermione asked impatiently.

Draco sneered. "Of course, I'm going to go." He said as he started to ascend the stairs. Every step he took made his feet feel leaden and it became harder to lift them.

Finally he arrived at the top of the stairs and he looked at the familiar tower. It had been rebuilt since the War but in his mind's eye he could still see the destruction. He could still see the headmaster standing there without a wand. He felt Hermione walk around him and he made himself move forward towards the center.

"We're here!" He said loudly. "What the bloody hell did you want?" He could feel anger start to eat at him, at being made to come to this awful place. "Granger, let's just go. Obviously, he's not here." He said frustrated and eager to leave.

Hermione turned around to look at him when a ghostly picture appeared in the center of the room.

Draco took a step towards the picture, to get a good look at it. But as soon as he looked at it, he stumbled backwards until his back was flush against the wall. He could feel himself starting to lose control, the precious control he had over his emotions. He started to tremble as feelings he had suppressed to its fullest threatened to over take him. He took one look at Hermione's shocked face and ran to the exit and down the stairs, unable to take the emotions.

Hermione was stunned at Draco's reaction to the picture. She slowly went over to the picture to see what had affected him so badly and instantly she knew why. There in the ghostly picture was Dumbledore and he looked just as she remembered him. He didn't have the cursed hand and his beard was blowing in some unseen wind. He was smiling and there was the familiar twinkle in his eye. She couldn't help but think the picture was taken recently, not years ago. And underneath the picture, four words were written in the familiar handwriting of the late headmaster: "Draco, I forgive you."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Colin." She sighed as she went towards the stairs and down them, wondering where Draco could have run off to. She didn't wonder long though, as he was leaning against the wall next to the stairs, as if he was catching his breath.

"Malfoy? Are you alright?" She asked as she approached the obviously distressed boy.

Draco looked up and ran both hands through his hair. "He forgives me?" He asked in a harsh whisper. "I practically killed him! Snape wouldn't have killed him if it wasn't for me!"

"Dumbledore told Snape to kill him." She answered and watched Draco's eyes go wide.

"He what?" He whispered, his eyes full of questions.

Hermione knitted her eyebrows together. "Didn't anyone tell you? Dumbledore was dying and he told Snape to kill him..." she paused for a moment before continuing "...to save you from doing it."

Draco stared at her for a moment completely silent. "He...he knew? He knew I was sent to kill him?"

"Of course he knew. And he didn't want you to be the one to do it." Hermione answered sympathetically. She couldn't fathom why this information was withheld from him.

A single tear fell from Draco's cheek and he wiped it away quickly. "No one hears about this, Granger. No one." He said gruffly as he pushed past her and strode down the hallway.

Hermione took off after him, not wanting to wander the halls alone. She walked a few steps behind him the entire way trying to figure out what Colin could possibly be up to.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione sat down next to Ginny and scooped some eggs on to her plate. Neville was sitting across from them and she could see the Slytherin table behind him. She noticed the conspicuous absence of a certain blonde. The night before had certainly taken its toll on her and she could only imagine how Draco fared once he holed himself up in his room.

"It's not terrible though, you know? Hermione?" Ginny said, making Hermione turn her attention to the girl beside her.

"I'm sorry Gin, what did you say?" She asked absently, her mind still thinking about the previous evening.

"I was talking about patrolling with Blaise. It's not as bad as I thought it would be." Ginny said, slightly annoyed by her friend's lack of attention.

Hermione's eyes snapped to her friend. "Really? You don't mind patrolling with him?"

"He's really not that bad...for a Slytherin, at least." She admitted shyly.

Hermione was about to grill her friend about what she meant by that when she saw Draco sit down next to Pansy. Immediately, Pansy latched on to his arm and he seemed to nod his head slowly. She couldn't help but think that he looked exhausted and it looked like it took extra effort to just scoop eggs on to his plate. She felt some sympathy for the poor boy and she wondered where that came from.

"Well, you can't trust them...any of them." Neville said after it was obvious Hermione wasn't going to say anything.

Ginny slowly nodded her head. "Oh! I know. I'm just saying he's not as bad as other Slytherins. He doesn't call me Weaselette or blood traitor, so that's definitely an improvement." She said, trying to appease Neville.

It seemed to work and Neville nodded his head. "I know everyone deserves a second chance and all, but they have to deserve it, you know?"

"I agree, Neville." Hermione said, getting back into the conversation. "But you should give them a chance to deserve it, shouldn't you?"

Ginny looked at her friend weirdly. "Are you saying we should all go befriend Slytherins?" She asked, slightly aghast.

"Oh, heavens no. I'd be just as happy not to have to talk to any of them after we graduate, but I'm just saying in general, in order for some to prove they have changed, you have to be open to it." She clarified.

Neville nodded. "I understand, Hermione. And you're right, just like always." He grinned at her and she shook her head lightly, smiling.

Ginny laughed. "Just like always." She agreed. "How're things with Malfoy, anyway?"

Hermione sighed. "He's Malfoy. We have to work on _everything_ together. But at least he gets good grades."

"You never come around the common room, anymore." Ginny said sadly. "We've missed you."

"We do!" Neville concurred.

Hermione smiled. "I know, but I'm really swamped. Halloween is next month, Hogsmeade weekends to plan, prefect schedules, tutoring and homework on top of it!" She counted off her fingers.

"Wow, you are busy." Neville said and let out a low whistle.

Ginny nodded. "Well, don't spend too much time holed away. Besides, too much time with Malfoy has got to be a bad thing."

"It's certainly interesting, that's for sure." Hermione answered cryptically.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Draco sighed in frustration. For the past two weeks, Pansy had not left his side. She followed him to class and insisted on sitting beside him. She would fasten herself to his arm and make doe eyes at him and he'd have to come up with new excuses on why he had to use his arm for something. And worst of all, she was constantly touching him in ways that he was sure she meant as seductive but really was repulsive. Unfortunately, he couldn't just tell her off as it would get back to his parents faster than you could say "bugger off." He threw his bag on the couch and sat in front of the fire, staring off into space. He was grateful on more than one occasion that he no longer shared a common room with the Slytherins if only because it gave him peace from his "fiancee."

And it's not like he really needed to add her to everything else. This whole stupid ghost-that's-obsessed-with-pictures thing was really grating on him. He did not need to see pictures of his tortured face at night. He did not need to spend more time than he already had to with Hermione Granger. He did not need to go up to the astronomy tower and have flashbacks that he had avoided for a year. And he certainly did not need to see a picture of the old headmaster smiling at him as if everything was alright!

He balled his fists, slammed them down on the cushions and threw his head into the back of the couch. In the past two weeks, he could not get that picture out of his head. The headmaster was smiling, _smiling _damn it, and he was dead! And to learn that he had been set up.._set up_ by his own _Godfather._ Blast it all! They _knew_ he couldn't do it. Everyone seemed to know but him! And how did he find out? Not from his parents. Not even from the new headmistress. No! He found out from the bushy haired, annoying know-it-all! That's how! Why not rub some salt in that wound while she's at it? Hell, he only found out Snape was actually on Dumbledore's side after the article came out about in the Daily Prophet. His parents had said nothing; Snape's name was a taboo topic in the household. And he was a spy this entire time…for the other side!

He growled in frustration as he leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. And he knew it wasn't over. That blasted ghost wasn't through with him...damn Gryffindors. How could they be so bloody annoying…even when they were dead?

"Are you alright, Malfoy?" His head snapped up as the voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Hermione standing at the end of the couch, looking at him with what almost looked like an inkling of concern.

He glared at the girl that was just in his thoughts and a sneer came to his lips. "What's it to you?" He bit out.

Instantly, the wisp of concern was gone and she crossed her arms in front of her. "You looked a bit distressed so I thought I'd ask." She answered while rolling her eyes.

Draco was about to respond with some nasty insult about her being a nosy mudblood when something stopped him. He needed some answers that his parents were obviously not going to give him. So, he bit his tongue and removed the sneer from his face. "So, Snape was always on your side?" He asked tentatively, not sure she'd even answer.

Her eyes widened and she studied him for a moment as if wondering whether she should even bother answering him. "Yes, he was a spy for us." She answered slowly, trying to decide what was alright to talk about.

He thought for a moment before asking the next question. "And he had always planned to kill Dumbledore? And Dumbledore was the one who told him to do so?" He asked, hoping to finally make sense out of the event two weeks ago.

"Yes. Dumbledore only had a year to live. He was cursed by Marvolo Gaunt's ring. It was actually a horcrux. He knew what your mission was and wanted to prevent you from killing him yourself." She answered, taking a seat at the end of the couch, as far away from him as possible.

He chewed on that piece of information for little bit. He had no idea Dumbledore was dying.

Finally, he asked the one question that had been robbing him of sleep. "Do you...do you really think he...forgives me?" He asked softly, finding it difficult to actually get the words out.

Hermione swallowed before answering. "Yes, I do." She answered without any doubt in her voice.

Draco nodded and let out a shuddering breath. He felt an unseen weight lift from his shoulder and he closed his eyes for a moment before standing. He picked up his bag and started to walk away when he stopped next to her. He nodded his head in acknowledgement before continuing to his room.

He made it up the stairs and closed the door behind him. His bag dropped to the floor as he leaned against the door and slid down it to the ground. He put his head back in his hands and let a few tears escape, however he acknowledged that it wasn't tears of sadness but tears of relief.

**

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**A/N: This story is turning out to be a lot of fun to write. I have to admit, Colin wasn't supposed to be a main character in this story but I decided that I wanted to keep him and make him a major plot point. I'm glad I did and I have a very good idea of where this is all leading up to. Thank you everyone who has been reviewing! However, I'm not sure my summary is the best for my story...if anyone has any ideas for a better one, please let me know! And please continue to review! Thanks so much! ~Chrissy**


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione came into her common room and saw Draco furiously writing on a piece of parchment. His dark robes were hanging off the back of the chair and his white sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. It looked like he had written about a foot of essay already. She walked over to him after she threw her bag onto the couch.

"Are you ready to patrol?" She asked as he looked up at her.

He nodded as he looked back down and continued to write. "Let me finish my thought." He said in reply as his quill scraped against the parchment. A few minutes past with nothing other than the sound of quill on parchment filling the air. Finally, he put down the quill with a flourish and looked over his work, giving a nod of satisfaction.

"Potions essay?" Hermione asked as she watched him read it over.

He nodded again. "And I just finished my section, have you done yours?" He asked looking up at her from his seat.

"Of course." She said as she retrieved a parchment from her bag and placed it on his desk. She had finished it down in the library earlier. Since they cancelled the prefect meeting for tonight, she took advantage of the time to get her essay done as well. "We can hand it in tomorrow."

Draco stood up and stretched his arms. "Alright, let's go then." He said as he rolled his sleeves down and grabbed his robes. He patted his back pocket to ensure his wand was still there and put his robes on over his clothes.

They walked out of the common room and down the hallway, their footsteps echoing around them. Hermione looked at Draco and noticed that he had regained some of the composure he lost since the War. His head was held high and his shoulders back as if he had all the confidence in the world. It seemed as if some sort of weight had been lifted though she couldn't pinpoint why she had that impression. She felt herself blush as she realized that she was staring at her patrol partner and quickly looked straight ahead.

"So, now that Halloween is behind us, we should start working on the Yule Ball." She said, attempting to break the silence between them.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Christmas is over a month away, Granger. We have plenty of time." He scoffed.

"It's never too early to start planning." Hermione chided in a motherly tone.

Draco gritted his teeth, hating that tone of voice more than anything else. "I like it better when you're not talking, Granger." He said bitingly.

Hermione huffed but stopped talking, continuing to walk in silence. They walked along the corridors swiftly, not seeing a single student along the way. They had gone down a long hallway and went to turn around when in front of them a large ghostly picture appeared with an arrow pointing down a corridor to their left.

Draco groaned. "Are we not done with this yet?" He ran his hand through his hair, dreading what the stupid ghost could possibly have in store for them.

Hermione pursed her lips together. "I suppose not." She answered, wondering where Colin could be leading them now.

They followed the arrow and walked down the hallway, much slower than normal. Unconsciously, the two walked a little closer together than before and both had their wands in their hands. Hermione looked around and struggled with a vague sense of familiarity. She knew something had happened here but really could not place her finger upon it.

They both saw the picture at the same time, down the hallway and flat against the wall on their left. Neither knew what or was in the picture but they slowed down even more as they came up to it. Hermione faced the picture first and she gasped.

It was a large translucent picture and this time there was a familiar red head in it. He had a smile on his face as if he had been laughing at a joke and in front of him he held two thumbs up at her while winking at her.

Draco looked at Hermione and saw the look of recognition on her face as she started to dart her gaze all around the corridor. He didn't understand what was going on other than the fact that a Weasley twin was looking at them from the picture. However, he recognized that this particular experience was meant for Hermione just as the Astronomy Tower was meant for him. Inwardly, he sighed in relief that he wasn't the target this time.

Hermione looked closely at the picture and saw words form on the bottom: "I'm good!" She brought her hand to cover her mouth as tears swiftly fell down her cheeks. She looked up at his face again and saw that there was a look of contentment on it and she fell to her knees, unable to hold up her weight any longer.

"We miss you, Fred. We all miss you, so much." She sobbed through her hand as she put one hand on the wall, next to the picture. "George isn't the same without you."

Draco watched as Hermione broke down in front of this picture of a smiling red head. Part of him wanted to reach out to her but what would he say? What would he do? Why would he even do such a thing? Instead, he stood there and waited, knowing that despite the personal nature of this, she wouldn't want to be left alone in the corridor.

Hermione finally stood up, her eyes puffy from crying. "But if you're good, then how could we not be?" She sniffled, more to herself than to anyone else. "We will always miss you, Fred." She said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

A white handkerchief was suddenly before her and she looked up to see Draco handing it to her. However, he was not looking at her as if he was reluctant to even be giving it to her. She took it and wiped her eyes and nose with it while a look of disgust crossed his face. "Keep it, I don't want it back." He said, crinkling his nose.

"Thank you." She answered as she looked back at the smiling picture of Fred. "If you can be alright, I can be alright. We can be alright." She whispered to him as she turned away from the picture, wiping her eyes again. She strode away from the picture, sniffling but feeling slightly better for a reason she couldn't identify. She smiled softly as she thought of the people she loved in a better place.

Draco walked next to her in silence for the next ten minutes before clearing his throat. "So, what happened to the Weasley twin?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

Hermione looked at him for a moment before taking a breath. "We were battling death eaters; they had just infiltrated Hogwarts. The wall exploded right there and Fred got the brunt of it. He had died in that instant but there was a smile on his face." She said as she vividly recollected the night. "His older brother had finally returned to help us and Fred was so happy that he had Percy back."

Draco nodded. "So, it wasn't a curse that killed him?" He asked as their common room came in sight.

"No, we protected each other pretty well and the two death eaters were already out when it happened." She answered. "But we couldn't protect him from that." She stifled a sob then as they entered their common room.

Draco felt the awkward silence fill the conversation and he hurried to think or something to say. He felt the need to repay her for the things she said when he found out the truth about Dumbledore. "Uh, well, he seemed to be doing well." He said lamely.

Hermione smiled a bit. "Yes, he did." She said as she turned to Draco. "Thank you for not leaving." She turned around and went up the stairs to her bedroom.

She closed the door behind her and flopped on to her bed. She wondered what else Colin had up his ghostly sleeve and why he was doing all this. Why would he want to cause so many more tears than what was already shed? She shook her head, wondering how much more they were going to have to endure.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Draco was walking down to dinner when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. He looked over and to his surprise, he saw Ginny and Blaise talking behind a large stone pillar, out of sight for most of the student traffic. They were obviously flirting as the girl would constantly touch his arm and Blaise would give her his famous smile in return. They were less than foot away from each other and practically touching. A smirk graced his face as he waltzed over to the pillar and leaned against it lightly.

"Why Blaise, I've been looking for you." He drawled as he saw the red head jump about a foot in the air and instantly put space between her and ark olive skinned boy.

"Of course, Draco. " He said, obviously annoyed at the intrusion. "I'll see you at patrol." He said to Ginny who smiled broadly then left quickly. "What was _that_ all about, Draco?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Draco cocked his eyebrow. "I should be asking you the same thing. Are you fraternizing with a Gryffindor?' He accused.

"So what if I am?" He challenged. "The War is over. I don't see any reason not to. Besides, you were the one who paired me with her for patrols." He answered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Be careful with fire, Blaise, you might get burned." He said in obvious reference to the girl's hair.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not engaged like you are, I can go after whomever I want, even if it is a Gryffindor."

Draco groaned. "Don't remind me." All thought of the Weaselette flew out of his mind as he thought about his pug faced fiancée.

Blaise's defense dropped as he saw Draco think about his upcoming wedding. "Sorry mate, I know that's a sore subject."

"It's alright. I'm going to have to accept it someday, I suppose." Draco answered as they started to walk towards the Great Hall.

"There's really no way out of it?" Blaise inquired, a wave of sympathy coming over him for his friend.

Draco shook his head. "My father has already arranged it." They entered the Great Hall and Pansy instantly turned around and started to wave at them vigorously. "And I apparently have a very willing bride." He half groaned as they walked towards the table.

Blaise chuckled as he pat his friend on the shoulder. He quickly looked over his shoulder and saw Ginny looking over at him. He smiled at her and saw her blush as he sat at his table.

"Oh Drakie, I've missed you!" Pansy squealed as Draco sat down. She grabbed on to his arm and looked up at him endearingly. "Just think, only a month until our announcement!"

Draco rolled his eyes and took a breath. "Uh, Pansy, I need my arm to eat." He said as he attempted to lift his right arm.

"Oh, of course!" She answered as she let go of his arm. "Aren't you excited?"

"Um, sure, Pansy." He answered as he took a piece of meat from the plate. He was already tired from the day and he really didn't have the energy to put up with her right now. On the bright side, she would do anything he would say which ought to make the marriage at very least, manageable.

"So, are we really having a Yule Ball next month?" She asked, her eyes still glued to her fiancé.

Draco finished his bite before answering. "Yes, it will be the weekend before Christmas break."

"You're going to take me, aren't you, Drakie?" Pansy asked, her voice becoming whiny.

Draco cringed. "You know that as Head Boy, I have to go with Head Girl." He answered, for once thankful for something he had to do with Hermione.

"But who will go with me?" Pansy complained. "Why should you have to take the mudblood? It's just so unfair."

"I'm sure someone will ask you." Draco responded, finishing off his dinner. At least, he hoped someone else would ask her, though he couldn't fathom why anyone would.

Pansy smiled. "Well, I'll only be thinking of you, Drakie." She said as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Draco looked up to see Blaise smirking and he decided that he had enough. "Alright, I need to go. I have some Head things I need to do tonight." He said as he got up from the table.

"Already?" Pansy whined, her voice going higher.

Draco nodded. "Have a good night." He said as he quickly strode out of the Great Hall.

_Merlin, how am I going to put up with that for the rest of my life?_ He wondered as he walked the hallways back to his common room. He shook his head and tried to get the thought out of his head.

He entered the common room and saw Hermione working at her desk. The image of Blaise and Ginny entered his head and he knew what to do to get his mind off of Pansy. He sauntered over to her desk and leaned against the wall next to it.

"Something you want, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, without lifting her head.

"So, Weaselette and Blaise, huh?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

Hermione's head snapped up and looked at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" She asked, slightly horrified.

"Oh, nothing. I just saw them in the hallway flirting away, thought maybe you knew something." He looked at her for a moment. "I guess not." He said as he pushed off the wall and started to walk away.

"Are you serious?" She asked incredulously as she whipped around in her seat.

Draco looked over his shoulder and his smirk grew. "I suppose you'll have to ask her, now won't you?" He said as he sauntered away, feeling pleased with himself. If there was anything to distract him from his impending doom with Pansy, it was making Hermione squirm. And nothing made her squirm more than him knowing something that she didn't.

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**A/N: Hello! Sorry it took so long to update, but I was on vacation. But I'm back and ready to write! :-) So, here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all the reviews...keep them coming! ~Chrissy**


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione sat on the couch in front of the crackling fire in her common room. She sighed as she turned her attention from the snow falling outside the window to the piece of parchment in her hand.

_Hermione,_

_I know your last Hogsmeade weekend for the year is coming up, but Harry and I can't make it. We have our first round of Auror tests next week and our teachers insist that we practice and study with them. _

_However, we are looking forward to seeing you at the Burrow during Christmas break. I love you._

_Ron_

She had been looking forward to seeing the two of them as she hadn't seen them in about a month. She missed them sorely and didn't imagine how different Hogwarts would be without them. She carefully folded the parchment up and put it in her bag and pulled out a notebook and quill. She was supposed to be finishing the plan for the Yule Ball.

She looked up at the clock and cursed under her breath. Where the hell was Draco? He was supposed to be here half an hour ago to help finish the planning. Just as she shook her head, she heard the portrait hole open and footsteps come closer.

She watched as Draco threw his bag onto the couch and sat heavily down in one of the arm chairs across from her.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Where have you been, Malfoy? We were supposed to meet half an hour ago."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't get your knickers in a twist; I was busy."

"Doing what?" Hermione demanded.

"None of your business. I'm here now, let's get this over with." He answered back as he leaned back in his chair.

Hermione grumbled but opened her notebook. "We have all the food and music in order. We still need to decide on the theme though."

"Christmas isn't enough of a theme?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Well, I was thinking something more specific than Christmas. Maybe we could do a Santa Claus theme with elves and reindeers." She offered.

Draco cringed. "Could we do something less muggle?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine, how about something like..." she tapped her quill on her notebook as she thought "...a winter wonderland?"

"What would that entail?" Draco asked.

"Oh, I don't know. The Christmas tree could have white lights, we could have snow castles, snowflakes falling from the ceiling, things like that." She said, thinking off the top of her head.

Draco nodded slowly. "Well, that's certainly a better idea that your first one."

"Fine, that's settled then." She said, writing it down in her notebook.

"By the way, what color is the dress that you are wearing to the ball?" Draco asked while inspecting his nails as if he was bored.

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "I don't know yet, why?"

Draco sighed dramatically. "Well, if I'm supposed to be going with you, then my dress robes are supposed to match your dress." He said as if she were an idiot.

Hermione blushed, though she didn't really know why. Ron had never cared enough about fashion to try to match what she wore. "Oh, well, I'm going to pick up my dress this weekend in Hogsmeade." She stated, recovering from her thought.

"Way to leave it for the last minute, Granger." He said while shaking his head. "And try to wear something decent. I don't need to be embarrassed any more than I already have to be."

Hermione glared at him. "You're insufferable." She huffed.

"Well, if that's all..." Draco started to say as he got up from his chair. However, he was cut off by the appearance of a very large ghostly picture above the fireplace.

As the picture came into view, both of them gasped at the image of the shrieking shack.

"Snape." They both breathed at the same time.

Underneath the picture, the words: "Saturday, noon" appeared.

Hermione looked at Draco and saw the blood drain out of his face. She imagined that she looked similiar.

Draco turned his head towards her and the stared at each other for a moment. "Oh, bloody hell!" Draco yelled before storming off towards his room.

Hermione leaned back in the couch and covered her face with her hand. "This is not something I need to relive." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione was walking towards the main doors when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and pull her out of the flow of students. She stumbled a bit and found herself behind a column face to face with Draco.

"I'll be at the Three Broomsticks at half eleven. We can leave 15 minutes later separately and meet by the trailhead. Understood?" Draco whispered in a rush.

"That's fine. I'll see you then." She said as she ripped her wrist from his grasp. "And for the record, we live together, this was quite unnecessary." She huffed.

"Yes well, neither of us has seemed to be around at the same time." He countered and it was true. Both students went out of their way to avoid each other since their last meeting. "I'll see you later, Granger." He said, walking back into the crowd of people.

Hermione integrated herself into the crowd quickly and found Ginny right outside the gates.

"Ginny!" She called out while waving.

Ginny smiled and waved back. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I got caught up. Head duties, you know." She said dismissively.

Ginny nodded. "Right, well, you ready to do some dress shopping?" She asked enthusiastically. "It's awfully cold out."

Hermione nodded and the two friends walked towards Hogsmeade at a fast pace. Hermione crossed her arms over her thick jacket trying to keep the cold out. It had started to light snow and the wind was swirling it all around. They quickly went into the dress shop and found it completely filled with girls looking for their ball gowns.

Hermione groaned. "There are so many people here!"

"I know and we better get moving if we want to get something nice!" Ginny answered as she moved through the crowd and made it to a dress rack. She went through all the dresses on the rack and moved quickly to another gathering up dresses in her arms.

Hermione looked stunned for a moment before starting to do the same. She found that she found less suitable dresses than Ginny did but she found a few nonetheless.

They made their way to the fitting room where the salespeople were busy helping other girls. One short and plump woman hustled over to them. "May I help you girls?" She asked politely.

"Yes, we'd like to try these on." Ginny said, indicating to the pile of dresses both girls held.

"Alright, there are two dressing rooms at the end of the row. You may use them." She said, pointing down the row, past all the people.

"Thanks!" Ginny said as the two girls made their way to the fitting rooms.

Hermione entered the one on the right and picked up the first dress on the pile. It was a deep red and sleeveless and when she put it on, it swept the floor. She looked in the mirror and a frown etched on her face. Definitely too tight.

She tried on the next one; a dark purple frock that had capped sleeves and went just passed her knees. She didn't even need to look into the mirror to know she didn't like it.

Finally, she tried on an ice blue dress with an off the shoulder neckline. It had a fitted bodice and an A-line skirt that went to the floor. A layer of silver lace was delicately sown to the top of the ice blue fabric and she felt her face light up when she looked in the mirror.

She stepped out to ask Ginny for her opinion and saw her standing in front of a three way mirror in a long silver dress that accentuated her every curve. Beading made the dress sparkle.

"Oh Ginny, that looks lovely!" Hermione gushed as soon as she saw her.

Ginny grinned. "Do you think so? Do you think Blaise will like it?"

Hermione froze for a moment. "Blaise? You're going with Blaise Zabini?" She asked incredulously.

Ginny's head snapped towards her, her mouth set in a small "o". "Oh, right, I haven't told you yet. He asked me last night and I said yes!" She said excitedly.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Oh Hermione, it's just a dance! And besides, he has been nothing but lovely towards me!" She answered. "Besides, you're going with Malfoy!"

"That's because I have to!" Hermione argued but a smile crept on to her face. Ginny did certainly look happy. "But if he makes you happy, I'm all for it." She said sincerely.

Ginny grinned. "Thank you!" She said as she went to hug her but then stepped back, noticing the dress for the first time. "Oh, Hermione! This dress is perfect!"

Hermione smiled. "I thought so, too!"

"So, are these it?" The saleswoman asked as she came up behind them. "Because I think they look fantastic."

Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, ma'am. We'll take them."

"Excellent! Just bring them to me when you're done changing." She said brightly.

The girls walked out of the dress shop and shrank their bags. They quickly put their bags in their pockets as they were walking. They walked to the Three Broomsticks and went into the crowded pub.

"Oh Hermione! I see Blaise and he's waving us over! Let's sit with him!" Ginny said as she pulled Hermione over to the table.

Of course, Blaise wasn't alone, Draco was sitting right next to him.

"Hello Ginny!" Blaise said, a smile on his face. "Hello Hermione."

Hermione groaned as she thought about how both she and Draco would get out without being noticed. Luckily, Draco seemed to be thinking of the same thing.

"Granger, are we still on to go over the Yule Ball at noon?" He asked carefully.

"Oh right." She looked at her watch. "I suppose we ought to go then." She said as she stood up. "I'm sorry Gin, but head duties, you know."

Ginny was still looking at the Blaise but then turned to Hermione. "Oh, it's no problem. I know the ball is coming up."

They said their goodbyes and walked out of the pub.

The road was fairly empty as everyone sought the warmth of a shop or pub. The wind had picked up and the snow was falling at a steady pace, quickly covering their footsteps. They walked down the road and turned a sharp left down a mostly unused path. They walked in silence, wondering what the next few minutes had in store for them.

They reached the dilapidated steps leading to the front door and stopped, both looking at the ominous building.

Hermione looked out of the corner of her eyes at her companion and saw him take a deep breath before continuing up the stairs. She followed after him, keeping as close to him as she dared. She watched him open the door and heard it creak as it opened. They both walked through the doorway and she jumped as she heard the wind shut it behind her. She looked around at the room, the wind moving through the room as the walls didn't offer much protection. She muttered a quickly _silencio _in case someone came close by. She watched as Draco stepped to the middle of the room, his wand raised in front of him. He looked around carefully, slowly turning in place.

Hermione spotted the trap door that she had hidden under and on the wall behind it; she saw the shimmering beginning of a picture in the making. She unconsciously reached out and touched Draco's arm, who she felt jump at the contact.

Draco scowled at the touch but followed her gaze to the forming picture on the wall. He slowly walked towards it as it transformed into his Godfather.

Severus Snape was standing there, his arms were crossed in front of him and his nose was up in the air as if some smell offended him. He looked exactly the same as they remembered him with one difference: the hint of a smile on his face. He then looked straight at them in what could be a appraising gaze before going back to his previous position. Underneath the picture words formed: "I was always loyal to Dumbledore."

All doubt that Draco harbored disappeared and he dropped to his knees before the picture. "It's true then, he really was a spy for the Order." He whispered.

Hermione stood nearby, slightly shaken herself. She recalled the years that they all doubted Snape only for him to be one of the greatest heroes. "I told you that, already." She answered.

"But I'm sure part of you wondered, just maybe, maybe he was playing both sides and no one knew it." He said, looking up at the picture from his spot on the ground.

Hermione sat next to him. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She admitted shyly. She always had an uneasy feeling about spies. How was one truly to know who's side they were on and what stopped them from changing without the knowledge of either side.

All of the sudden, Draco's face contorted with anger. "Why?" He yelled out. "Why didn't you tell me? I trusted you? You could have let me help!"

Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the raw emotion on the blonde boy's face. "What do you mean, Malfoy?" She asked carefully.

"He could've helped me. He told me to trust him. I could have helped!" The words tumbled out of his mouth quickly. "My entire life has been directed by my father, it didn't matter what I wanted. He would threaten me with the life of my mother. He would offer his love in exchange. But I never wanted _this_!" He yelled as he lifted up his sleeve and exposed the dark mark.

Hermione recoiled at the ugly sight. The mark itself had faded so that it wasn't very noticeable but you could still see it easily if you looked. She felt a wave of sympathy wash over her as she listened to him talk. "Well, it's over now, right? Voldemort is gone." Hermione said uncomfortably. She found it a bit hard trying to comfort Draco.

Draco's anger fell away from his face as he looked over at Hermione. A chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head. "You think so? It wasn't the Dark Lord who was pulling my strings, it was my father and you think it's over? If it was over, I wouldn't be made to marry Pansy Parkinson at the end of the school year. I wouldn't be giving up my life for the family company. Don't you understand? It's never over." He said sardonically.

"So, why don't you say no?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence. She had no idea that he was still going through all this.

Draco laughed humorlessly. "Say no? I would be stripped of my inheritance. He would threaten to hurt my mother. He would threaten to hurt me. He would threaten to hurt anyone near me. And he would carry out the threats in a blink of an eye. You don't say no to Lucius Malfoy."

Without thinking, Hermione placed her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. As soon as it made contact, her eyes widened in surprised but didn't make any attempt to move it. She could tell that somehow, he needed it, even from her.

Draco stiffened up at the touch and looked at her hand instantly wanting to throw it off him. But he resisted and felt the warmth of her hand seep into his arm and he relaxed slightly. He looked up at Hermione, a small smile playing on her lips and for the first time in his life, he was actually grateful to her. He inclined his head and acknowledged the gesture and she nodded back.

They both sat there for a little while, neither saying anything and the contact between them becoming comfortable. They took whatever it was that they needed from each other and both were at least a little grateful for the other. Finally, Draco stood up and offered his hand to Hermione. She grabbed onto it without hesitation this time and he helped her up to her feet. Draco reached the door and to Hermione's surprise, he held it open for her. They pulled their coats close to themselves as they started the trek towards Hogwarts.

Draco walked next to her and after a moment finally said something. "By the way, Granger, what's color is your dress?"

Hermione smiled. "Ice blue."

Draco nodded. "Very well, then."

* * *

**A/N: So they're starting to rely on each other as this must be hard for anyone to go through. Yay! Next chapter will by the Yule Ball. Please REVIEW! It means so much to me. :-) THANKS to those who have been! ~Chrissy**


	8. Chapter 8

"Granger! I don't have all bloody night!" Draco yelled from his common room.

Blaise chuckled next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Draco, don't you know by now? You can't rush women when it comes to getting ready for a ball." He said as if he was departing with sage advice.

Draco grunted. "We're going to be late if they take any longer."

"We all have to wait for you anyway. You both open the ball." Blaise pointed out.

In response, Draco crossed his arms and huffed.

Finally, the door opened and Ginny walked out first. Her silver dress shimmered in the light and her hair was swept back in an elegant French twist. Blaise's breath hitched as he saw her and quickly moved forward to help her down the last few steps.

"You look beautiful." He said, his gaze not leaving her face.

Ginny blushed and she smiled. "Thank you."

They walked back towards Draco who was now staring at the stairway. Hermione came down the stairs, her ice blue dress sweeping the floor. Her hair was up and delicate curls framed her face. He couldn't help but stare as she came up to him.

"Look at that, you do match." Hermione said with a small smile. She appraised his black dress robes that looked much like a muggle tux. His tie was a light blue that matched her dress perfectly.

Draco nodded his head and swallowed thickly. "Yes, I told you I would." He answered, unable to say much else.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Ginny said as she watched the awkward encounter in front of her.

"You clean up well, Granger." He managed to get out and Hermione smiled.

"As do you, Malfoy." She answered back. "Shall we?"

With that the four made their way to the Great Hall and saw that everyone was already there. Ginny and Blaise made their way inside while Draco and Hermione stood outside the doors with the Headmistress.

"Draco, Hermione, are you ready to open the ball?" McGonagall asked the two heads. "The doors will open, the two of you will go in and go straight to the dance floor and have the first dance."

They both nodded and the headmistress went in. They heard her announcing them through the doors and then the doors were opened and everyone watched them. Draco offered his arm which Hermione took immediately and they both entered the room to whispered murmurs.

Hermione looked around and couldn't have been more pleased with the planning they had done. The Christmas tree was covered in white lights and tinsel that looked like snow. There were candles that floated above everyone's heads and snowflakes that fell but evaporated as soon as they touched something. There were ice sculptures on all the tables that were charmed from melting. It truly looked like a winter wonderland.

They found themselves at the center of the dance floor when the music started. They looked at each other hesitantly at first and then Draco offered his hand to her. She grabbed on to it and found herself being whisked away.

"I didn't know you could dance." She whispered in his ear, her breath giving him a bit of a shiver.

"Mother made me learn when I was young." He bent his head towards her. "She said all gentlemen needed to know how to dance."

Hermione found herself smiling. "You're quite good."

"I know." He answered as he twirled her out for a spin. The students around them clapped and they soon found other couples surrounding them.

The song was quickly over and they moved to the side of the room while couples continued to dance in the middle of the room.

Draco leaned against the cool stone wall as Hermione looked around at all the people.

"I'm going to get some pumpkin juice, would you like some?" She asked, turning her head toward him.

"I'm fine." He answered as she nodded and walked away.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the music fill his head. His mind wandered back to the previous dance, his hand firmly on Hermione's back. For some reason, he wasn't as repulsed as he used to be.

Before he could entertain that thought further, a high pitched shrill entered his head. "Drakey!"

He sighed as he opened his eyes and saw Pansy coming towards him. He knew they would be announcing their engagement soon and the thought made his shudder. The things he did for his family.

"Hello Pansy." He said, nodding his head at her when she came up to him.

"You're going to dance with me, aren't you?" She asked, flashing a broad smile up at him.

"I'm here with Granger, you know that. And you have a date as well." He said, racking his brain for a suitable reason while scanning the crowd of people in front of him. Finally, his eyes stopped on said date, and their eyes met.

Hermione seemed confused at why he was staring at her until she noticed the raven haired girl standing very close in front of him. Draco was relieved when realization dawned on her face and she started towards them.

"She's not even here!" Pansy whined, causing Draco to bring his focus back to her.

Draco looked down at her and an idea popped into his hand. "Pansy, we'll have the entire Christmas ball to dance at." He said softly, smiling at her.

A smile formed on her lips as she considered this. "That's true Drakey, but perhaps just one dance since the beaver isn't..."

"Hello Parkinson." Hermione cut in. The music changed to a slow song and Hermione turned to Draco. "Shall we dance, Malfoy?"

"Next time, Pansy." He said, as nicely as possible.

"Excuse us." Hermione said coldly, as she grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him to the dance floor. "Beaver? That Stupid cow!" She whispered angrily as they started to dance.

Draco chuckled. "Thanks Granger." He said as she harrumphed.

"It looked like you were looking for a reason to leave her company." She said, as they danced on the crowded floor.

Draco nodded. "I was."

"You really don't want to marry her, do you?" She asked quietly, her head near his ear.

"No, not particularly." He answered. "But family duty requires it."

Hermione clucked her tongue. "So, because your father wants you to, you're going to spend the rest of your life with her?" She asked incredulously.

Draco shrugged. "It could be worse, you know. Pansy adores me. I could have been stuck with someone like you." The words fell from his mouth on their own volition. His eyes widened slightly when he realized what he said.

Hermione's eyes narrowed and glared at him for a moment before they softened up and she smiled. "You're right, Malfoy." She giggled a bit. "The idea of us together is somewhat horrifying, isn't it?"

Draco chuckled. "Exactly right, Granger."

They continued to dance until the song ended and then found their way to their respective friends.

The night was winding down and there were fewer people left. The Headmistress had come in to announce that it would be the last dance of the night, led by their Head Boy and Head Girl. Once again, Draco and Hermione found themselves in the middle of the dance floor with fewer people around them than before. Draco glided her around in a traditional foxtrot and everyone danced and clapped at the end. Finally, everyone exited and Hermione and Draco looked around the empty room, starting to clean up.

"This went off pretty well, I'd say." Hermione said, as she started to levitate all the cups and napkins into trash bags.

"It did." Draco agreed as he cleaned off the refreshments table.

Hermione went around, slowly taking down decorations and put them into boxes. "So, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"My family has a Christmas Ball every year. This year they plan to announce my engagement." He shuddered as he said this. "Then I'm sure it'll be a large Christmas dinner with my family. What about you? Having a muggle Christmas?"

"No, I'm going to the Weasley's." She answered. "My parents are on holiday."

"So, spending Christmas with the Weasel and Scarhead then?" Draco said, as he threw a piece of garbage out fairly forcefully.

"Yes, I'm spending it with my best friends, Malfoy." She said indignantly.

"And boyfriend?" He prodded as he came up beside her to help with the decorations.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, and that." She answered.

They continued to work silently, pulling down drapes and candles and levitating them to their boxes. Draco saw it first as he stopped and stared above him. Hermione quickly followed his gaze and looked up, noticing for the first time, the sprig of mistletoe hanging above them.

"It is tradition, Granger." Draco said as a smirk crossed his face.

"Oh no, Malfoy. This is one tradition we don't need to hold up." She said, as her stomach flipped with regret for reasons she didn't want to know.

Draco ignored her protest and put his arm around her waist. The idea of throwing off Miss. Perfect was enticing and he was fairly certain a small kiss would throw her for a loop. "No one will know about this, Granger." He said softly as he lowered his head down to hers.

Their lips touched and both felt a fire lit in their stomachs that made them slightly tremble. Without conscious thought, they deepened the kiss, as if they were holding on to a lifeline they never knew about. When they finally had to come up for air, they looked at each other with wide eyes.

"That did not happen." Draco said instantly, shocked by the intensity of the kiss. He stepped back, putting much needed distance between them.

"Absolutely right, Malfoy." Hermione agreed quickly, her stomach still flipping at the contact. Her mind, for the first time in her life, was blank and her feelings were in turmoil. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a breath, and continued to work.

They worked the rest of the night in awkward silence. They walked up to their rooms without saying a word and Draco went straight to bed. He laid there; his eyes wide open, thinking about the kiss. Finally, he angrily turned to his side grumbling about stupid mudbloods.

* * *

**A/N: Hello all! Sorry it has been so long but this summer has been really busy! All good, though! I hope you enjoyed the Ball and their slowly burgeoning feelings. But it's not going to go down without a fight. Next chapter will be about the Malfoy Christmas Ball and the Weasley Christmas. THANK YOU for all the reviews so far! I love reading them. PLEASE continue to REVIEW! It means so much to me! ~Chrissy**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"We would like to make an announcement." Narcissa Malfoy's voice rose above the crowd and everyone went quiet looking at the middle of the room where she stood next to her husband.

The older couple was impeccably dressed, with Lucius in his fine cut dark gray dress robes and silver bow tie and Narcissa in a silver column dress, her hair perfectly coifed for the occasion. "Happy Christmas everyone and thank you for attending our Christmas ball." She announced.

Draco inwardly groaned. He knew exactly what was coming up. He fidgeted with his green tie and then smoothed out his formal black dress robes. He looked around the room and couldn't help giving a small smile. His mother had outdone herself this year. The ballroom was packed full of notable pureblood families and decorated to perfection. Everyone was in their Christmas finest, though it seemed green was the preferred color of the evening.

"It's with great pride that we announce our son's engagement." Lucius took over, his voice booming through the room. Murmurs started to fill the room as a path suddenly opened up in front of Draco leading to his parents. Draco took that as his cue to start walking towards them and held his head high while doing so. Lucius continued as he saw Draco approaching. "We are pleased to soon welcome Miss Pansy Parkinson to the Malfoy family."

Similarly, a path opened up to allow Pansy access to the family. Draco watched from beside his father as she made her way towards them, a smug smile on her face and her nose slightly in the air. She had on an emerald green dress, which was a bit too poofy for his liking, swishing around her. There were small gasps from the crowd as she passed them by.

When she reached the center circle, Lucius nudged Draco light. He begrudgingly stepped forward and offered his hand to Pansy which she took with her left hand. Lucius then made a show of handing Draco a ring with a ridiculously large diamond in the center which Draco then slipped onto her finger. He was thankful that he didn't actually have to propose to the girl as just standing here was hard enough. Pansy smiled and kissed Draco on the cheek while it took all of his willpower to not grimace.

The crowd clapped politely and Narcissa then stiffly hugged Pansy as a show of acceptance and Lucius clapped Draco on the shoulder. All he could do was nod as he watched Pansy rush over to her friends. He could see them all gawking at her newly acquired engagement ring.

Draco took this opportunity to head to the back of the room while snatching two flutes of champagne off a silver tray. He quickly downed both drinks and grabbed two more from a passing footman and finished those just as quickly. He slipped out of the French doors that led out to the balcony and found it thankfully empty. He leaned over the railing and stared out at the dark gardens wishing that this was all a bad dream.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione smiled half heartedly as she sat on the couch half listening to Ron talk about quidditch with Harry. The house was bustling and she was constantly surrounded by people but she swore that she had never been so lonely in her life. It wasn't until she felt Ron's arm go around her that she realized they had asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked when she noticed Harry and Ron looking at her expectantly.

"We asked how the Colin Creevey thing was going." Harry said, looking concerned for his friend. She didn't usually space out. "Everything alright?"

Hermione smiled. "Oh, it has just been such a busy year, I'm just worn out." She said convincingly. "I haven't heard from him in a few weeks but it's still the same. Pictures and places to go." She said, answering his first question.

Ron nodded. "That's a bit creepy, I have to say. I don't know how I would feel about being haunted, especially having to go to odd places with bad memories all by myself."

Hermione grimaced slightly. She had failed to mention to either of them that Draco had been involved. She thought they would overreact so she just kept him out of it. She left out a lot of the details as well because for some reason, the whole experience seemed somewhat…intimate…to her.

"Luckily, it's not that often." She answered, wanting to change the topic of conversation.

"Dinner time!" Molly called from the kitchen and Hermione practically sighed with relief. She stood up quickly and was thankful to get out of the reach of Ron. For some reason, having him touch her made her uncomfortable and she just hoped that he hadn't noticed.

Ron stood up quickly as well. "Great! I'm starved!" He said as he practically ran towards the kitchen.

Hermione chuckled when she noticed Harry still standing next to her. "Are you sure everything's ok, 'Mione? You don't quite seem yourself."

Damn Harry for being so observant but she put on a smile and nodded her head. "I've been under a bit of stress, between Colin, being head girl, N.E. and everything. But I'll be alright." She answered truthfully.

Harry nodded and slung his arm around her shoulders. "I know you will, 'Mione. I just worry about you." He said as they walked towards the kitchen. She wondered then, why she didn't feel uncomfortable with Harry but felt so uncomfortable with Ron.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Hermione entered the head's common room to find Draco already sitting in front of the fireplace. She pointedly ignored the fact that her heart skipped a beat when she saw his blond head.

"Have a nice holiday?" She asked as she sat down in one of the chairs, a little relieved to be back at school.

Draco snorted. "If you count becoming engaged to the world's most annoying creature nice, then I suppose so." He threw a sideways glance at her before staring back at the fire.

She opened her satchel and grabbed a small box from inside. "Right, so, here." She said thrusting the box in his direction, trying to break the tension that had suddenly settled over the two of them.

He looked at her then, one eyebrow raised as he took the wooden box from her. "What's this?" He asked, resting the box in his lap.

Hermione blushed. "It's something I saw that reminded me of you. So, uh, happy Christmas." She stuttered.

Draco reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small long silver box that he handed to her. She took it, her face showing the shock she felt. "You first." She said, holding the box in her hand.

Draco slowly opened his box and saw a silver dagger with a dragon carved into the handle, its tail winding down part of the blade. It was intricately carved with a small emerald as an eye. "Wow, uh, thanks." He said softly, very impressed with the gift. It was beautiful and very much his style.

"You're welcome." Hermione said smiling, happy her gift left such an impression. "I'm glad you like it." He nodded and then motioned for her to open hers.

She took the cover off her small box and gasped at the contents. Inside sat a silver bookmark, with a scene of a serene lake carved into it. The lake itself was blue and looked like its water was somehow in motion. There was green grass that seemed to be moving with some unseen wind. And a tree that had branches hanging over the lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful and she felt like she could stare at it for hours.

"It's spelled so that it never falls out of your book, so you'll never lose your place." He said, regaining her attention.

"It's magnificent. The colors are lovely and it seems like there's a breeze blowing." She said, clearly still in awe of her gift. "Thank you so much."

Draco nodded his head, pleased with himself. They sat for a few moments in silence admiring their gifts, only the crackling fire causing any noise.

"Malfoy…" Hermione said quietly and when he looked at her, he followed her gaze to above the fireplace where another large ghostly picture was beginning to form.

As the picture formed, Hermione, at first couldn't recognize what she was seeing; to her it just seemed like a room full of piles of stuff. It was when she heard Draco's intake of breath that she realized what the picture was of: the room of requirement.

"Crabbe." Draco said, his voice suddenly very melancholy.

Hermione remembered that night very vividly. Running away from fiendfyre wasn't an experience you forgot. And she remembered the look in Draco's eyes when he realized his friend didn't make it.

The words "Wednesday, 10pm" showed up underneath it. They would be going after patrol then.

Hermione looked at him with concern in her eyes, seeing how the lightness in his face had disappeared and was replaced with a look of despair. He seemed to feel her eyes on him as he shook his head as if to free himself of the memories.

"Right, well, I guess that's that." Draco said as he stood up, picking up his gift. "I can't wait for this bloody ghost to LEAVE US ALONE!" He yelled, frustration obviously getting the better of him.

Hermione sat there, unsure what to say, so for once, she said nothing.

"I'm off to bed, Granger. Good night." He said suddenly, leaving her alone in front of the fire.

She watched as the picture faded away, wondering why Colin was doing this to them. And she couldn't help but wonder, when it ended, if their tentative cease-fire would also end.

* * *

**A/N: Haha! It worked! Starting another story for some reason got my writing mojo going again. :) I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. It's a little odd writing about Christmas in October. Anyway, please REVIEW! It really motivated me. ~Chrissy**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They were the last ones to leave the prefect meeting, closing the door behind them. "So, patrol for an hour and then…" Hermione's voice drifted off.

Draco looked at her and nodded sharply. "Yes, we'll patrol for an hour and then head off to the Room of Requirement." He said as he turned on his heel and started to stride down the hall.

Hermione ran to catch up to him and could barely keep up with his pace. "Malfoy, slow down, please."

Draco sighed but slowed down anyway. "I don't understand this. I don't understand why we have to go through this."

"I know, me neither. But obviously Colin has a reason." She said, grateful that she could walk at a comfortable speed.

"Which for some reason, we are not privy to." Draco added bitterly. "I'm getting tired of being some pawn in that bloody ghost's game."

Hermione nodded. She was tired of the emotional turmoil that Colin was putting them through as well. She could see the way Draco was fidgeting with his robes as he walked that he was uncomfortable. She felt for him, knowing that these pictures had been especially hard on him. But they had been hard on her too and they brought the two of them together, though she wasn't ready to admit that was a good thing.

They walked in silence for the rest of the hour before they found themselves in front of an empty wall. Hermione looked at Draco and he gave a curt nod before walking back and forth in front of the wall. Soon, a door appeared and they both stood in front of it nervously.

Draco took a step forward and opened the door quickly, crossing the threshold and staring at the familiar room, however, instead of a room full of stuff it was an empty room with empty tables and shelves. The room looked normal, not a sign of fire or soot, but all of the things that had accumulated there were gone. All of the hidden things destroyed in the fire.

Hermione stood at his side and slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. She didn't know why she felt the pull to do this but she didn't fight it. He didn't resist and instead held on to her hand tighter. A picture appeared on the back wall, next to a set of empty bookshelves. They looked at each other and walked toward it slowly, never letting go of the other.

As they got closer they could see a picture of Crabbe, looking disgruntled per usual and his arms crossed in front of him. Underneath the picture a sentence appeared. "It wasn't your fault."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the words and an angry scowl came to his face. "Of course it's my fault! You wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me! You wouldn't have cast that stupid spell!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist and held him close. She felt the need to comfort him and it felt oddly natural. "It wasn't your fault, Draco." Hermione whispered to the blonde boy. "I was there. It wasn't your fault."

Draco shook his head. "I shouldn't have let him come with me. I should have saved him." He said, resting his head on hers.

"We tried, Draco. You practically died in there yourself. He cast the spell. It wasn't your fault." She repeated. Hermione hadn't realized he held this guilt with him. It must have been eating him up on the inside.

"He was one of my closest friends. And now Goyle won't talk to me, either." He said sadly. "Why? Why are you showing us this? Why are you making us relive the worst parts of the war?" He yelled out to the empty room, his voice echoing.

Hermione tighten her arms and held him closer, knowing that he desperately needed the comfort. "Colin certainly is picking the worst moments to bring up." She agreed, trying her best to stay calm.

Draco's arms snaked around her waist without thinking and he held on to her, taking all the comfort she was offering. "Do you think there's a lot more pictures?"

"I hope not." She answered as she stared at the picture of the deceased boy. "It's not your fault." She reiterated, reading the sentence again.

Draco took a deep breath. "I've been carrying it around with me, the idea that I caused his death. It seemed like I deserved it after everything I had done. If I didn't cause it, why did he die?"

Hermione stepped away from him and broke their embrace. She looked up at him and had a stoic look on her face. "A lot of people died in the war and it was all for the same reason. It was for the light side to win. Crabbe died in a war that we were all too young to be involved in, but we still were. And now we all have to live with the memories but in no way can we carry the sins of war on our shoulders. It wasn't you fault, Draco."

Draco looked at her and felt the piece of guilt he carried around with him shatter. And it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Hermione smiled at him as she saw the guilt melt off of him. His eyes suddenly looked clearer and his posture a little straighter. And her smile grew when he gathered her up in a hug and held her close. His scent filled her nostrils and she vaguely wondered when she became familiar with what he smelled like.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said, her name rolling off his tongue. He looked over her head and stared at the picture of Crabbe. "Thank you, Vince." He said quietly, a ghost of a smile gracing his face. In that moment, he felt closer to her than he had ever felt for anyone else and it alarmed him slightly. He broke apart from Hermione quickly all of the sudden, needing space from the girl. "Shall we head back to the dorms?"

Hermione nodded and they walked toward the door in silence. Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eye and she couldn't help feeling comfortable with him. More comfortable than she had felt at the Burrow with Ron, in fact. She shook her head quickly and attempted to banish the thought from her head.

"You know, you're not half bad, Granger." Draco said casually, as if discussing the weather.

Hermione chuckled, thankful he broke the silence. "You too, Malfoy. Not nearly as much of a git as I remembered."

"You're not as much of swotty know-it-all as I remembered." He answered back to which he got a friendly slap in the shoulder.

"Better than your fiancée?" She asked, teasing him boldly.

Draco sighed. "Anyone's better than my fiancée. The thought of spending the rest of my life with her gives me the heebie jeebies."

"So don't marry her." Hermione said, seriously. "Do you really have to?"

Draco turned and looked at her. "Of course I have to marry her."

"Why?" She asked.

"My parents arranged it." He answered quickly.

"So?"

Draco stared at her for a moment, no answer immediately entering his head. "It's expected of me."

Hermione nodded slowly. "Right, so, because your parents want it and it's expected of you, you're going to spend the rest of your life, which is usually pretty long for us magical folk by the way, with a witch whom you can't stand and will probably drive you batty within a year."

Draco stared at her, his mouth open slightly. He racked his brain to come up with a witty come back but none entered his head and he watched as she smirked at him and then continued walking towards the door. "You don't understand!" He finally yelled out, propelling his body into motion. "You just don't understand." He said as he caught up to her.

"No, I apparently don't." She answered as she turned around to face him again. "But then again, I'm not sure you do either."

"I would lose everything; my inheritance, my social standing. I would be disowned!" He explained, listing all the reasons he had to go through with the wedding.

Hermione looked at him and she could see the debate going on in his head. "Yes, and that is worth a lifetime of unhappiness?"

Then Draco said the most blatant that had ever crossed his lips. "That, that _is_ happiness."

Hermione shook her head and looked at him with a touch of pity. "No, it's not, and I think somewhere you know it."

Draco could feel his temper rising, the defense mechanism he knew and was comfortable with. How dare she pity him! Him! A Malfoy! "You just say that because you're nothing but a lowly mudblood with no social standing." He lashed out. He threw her a glare and stormed out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

Hermione recoiled back, hurt by the word she hadn't heard him use in months. Oddly enough, it hurt much more than it had in the past. She looked sadly at the door. _He__didn__'__t__mean__it.__He__was__just__mad__that__I__called__out__his__way__of__life._ She rationalized to herself. Satisfied with her rationale, she walked towards the door, but with a little sting in her heart that refused to leave.

o.o.o.o.o.o

Draco sat in front of the fireplace, nursing a glass of firewhiskey that he had snuck into the castle. He stared at the fire for a moment before finally looking over at his companion.

Blaise sat in the seat across from him, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand, and he relaxed against the back of the chair. "Man, Heads certainly have the cushier accommodations." He said, taking a sip of the drink.

Draco looked over at him and ran a hand through his hair. "Blaise, do you, do you think there are more important things than social standing and wealth?"

Blaise almost choked on his drink and sat up with a cough. "What?" He asked between gasps of breath.

Draco looked down at his drink, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Just that. Do you think life is only defined by your rank and money?"

"Well, I guess, some of it is. Why? I've never thought _you_ would ask that kind of question." Blaise answered, sitting back in his seat, trying to get rid of shock on his face.

"I don't know. Just been doing some thinking." He answered as he took a drink.

Blaise chuckled. "Geez mate, living with Granger has certainly rubbed off on you."

"What? No! This has nothing to do with Granger." Draco answered quickly.

Blaise raised an eyebrow at his friend's quick denial but let it pass. "So, then, maybe it's cold feet from marrying our year's biggest gold digger?"

Draco scowled. "I have to live my entire life with that shrew and the prospect makes me want to drink myself into a stupor."

"Ah, so that's it. Are you weighing the pros and cons of following through with the wedding?" Blaise asked, aware of Draco's discontent with the prospective marriage. "If I were in your shoes, all the galleons in the world couldn't make me marry her."

Draco sighed. "But what about being disowned? What about losing money, family and standing?"

"That's a tough one but I guess you have to decide where your limits are and how much you're willing to do in order to stay in good standing with your family." Blaise answered, feeling for him. "Is there someone else, Drake?"

Draco looked down at his drink. "Of course not." He answered, but a pang in his heart told him otherwise. He had started to begrudgingly admit that a soft spot was starting to form for his dorm-mate, though it took a night of struggling and throwing pillows in order to recognize it.

Blaise watched the emotions play over Draco's face and he sighed. "I know you're lying and I have a pretty good idea who it is." Draco's head snapped up to look at him but Blaise cut him off before he could say anything. "Does she know?"

Draco's shoulders drooped and he shook his head slowly. "There's no chance there anyway, Blaise. It's just a passing fancy and I'm sure it'll pass soon."

Blaise smiled at his friend sadly. "Well, I won't tell anyone, your secret's safe with me." He reassured him. "And besides, she's better than Pansy."

Draco smiled at him. "That's not saying much, mate."

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter! Woo! I hope you guys are enjoying this one. I know there's not a lot of fluff but I think my two main characters are coming a long way, don't you? Please review! I'm gonna keep on chugging! ~Chrissy**


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